


Worn Out Faces

by Fede_Green



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe – Mental Institution, Alternate Universe – No Powers, Angst – General warning, Attempt at humour at times – but I suck, Character development/healing, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental disorders – General warning, No Tragic Ending, Smut, Therapy, patient!Percy, patient!nico
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-06-09 06:46:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6894361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fede_Green/pseuds/Fede_Green
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico di Angelo is a damaged soul. After his overdose of sleeping pills, his father Hades di Angelo – under a psychiatrist strict advice – decides to put him into Blank Hill Hospital care, a mental institution in the state of Kentucky.</p><p>There, Nico will meet other damaged souls as his. And as Percy Jackson's. </p><p>Maybe, the concept of healing means just growing up with the awareness that the world is messed up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Helloooo everybody! Here I am with this new insane (in every sense you can think of) project. Because I love keeping myself busy, don't I?! This was a _wild_ ride. It took me ages. I had to check so many things on the internet that my chronology asked me for explanations. 
> 
> But let's get down to business with the – necessary – warnings:  
> \- English is NOT my first language, but I think you got it by now.  
> \- Mental disorders general warning: to be completely honest, I know _my things_ about therapy and mental disorders. In this long fic you'll find a great variety of mental illnesses. In order to write it, I collected a ton of information. I took inspiration from movies and books, too - so maybe you'll find some references. Guys, if you have any complaint, suggestion, advice, send them [here](http://fedegreen-author.tumblr.com/). If I'm gonna hurt someone's sensibility, _please_ tell me! I need to know. I was as careful as I could.  
>  \- General angst warning: I'm not a fan of angst, but it was unavoidable here. You'll find some characters who are depressed/damaged/hurting. But I also love happy endings. I want to make clear that nothing tragic is going to happen in this fic. Absolutely.
> 
> I really hope you'll enjoy this! And sorry for this hella long beginning note LOL.  
> Enjoy <3

“ _Nico! Nico wake up!”_

_Nico felt his body being shaken by someone who was corpulent and strong. He couldn't really tell what was going on, but since he was finally able to sleep, why did he have to wake up? The sleeping pills he had taken were working. His insomnia had been a nightmare lately. Much more than usual. Why couldn't he sleep and be left in peace?_

“ _Jesus Christ! Maria, call an ambulance! Maria, quick! Nico, what did you do?! Open your eyes!”_

_Everything turned off in Nico's mind._

** **

Blank Hill Hospital was sorely depressing. Considering Nico di Angelo's actual state of mind, the young boy was surprised to have found a place more depressing than his house was.

The dark haired boy laid closer to his car window and took a look outside. That place was extraneous and demoralizing. The main building was bright white and pretty impressive, with huge well-kept gardens all around. The whole area had been fenced with what looked like an electrified enclosure. Glancing at the people who wandered in the gardens accompanied by some nurses, Nico had a confirmation that he was officially in hell.

Worn out faces. Empty eyes. Not a glimpse of a smile.

“Sir, it is twenty-five dollars for the ride. Someone will be here soon to take an eye on you and escort you inside.”

Nico turned around towards the man who had just spoken in the front seat, the hospital driver. He rummaged through his belongings in his shoulder bag and gave the man his twenty-five dollars. His father had given him thirty dollars overall. No wonder he had done it. Hades di Angelo still was afraid that his son could have bought some heavy drugs to try and kill himself. _Again_. What could he buy with five dollars left?

“Thanks,” the hospital driver took the money and then adjusted the rear-view mirror of the car to spend some time doing something. He kept giving quick looks at Nico. “So... why are you here, in Blank Hill?”

The young scrawny boy frowned and his eyes darkened. “I don't... They-they think I'm suicidal.”

The hospital driver raised an eyebrow at him from the mirror. “They _think_?”

Nico sighed, crossing his arms on his chest in disappointment. He wasn't even in the hospital yet and he was already being psychoanalysed. “Frankly, sir, this is none of your business.”

“Fair enough.” The man smiled at him, turning around and looking at Nico directly in the face. “But, you know... if they say you're suicidal, you probably _are_ suicidal. If I were you, I'd listen to them. I've seen a lot of teenagers like you coming here and going back home again. You're not stuck here forever. Give it a try.”

Nico warily glanced at the man from feet to head, analysing what he had just said. One could say he had trust issues. “Whatever.”

The hospital driver smiled kindly again, trying to reassure the young boy in front of him. “I'm sure I'll see you again soon to take you back home. You look like a tough cookie.”

Nico's lips curved into a faint smile, though his eyes remained empty. When he was about to open his mouth and give the man an answer, someone knocked on his car window. Nico turned around. He had to swallow hard to keep himself from punching the stranger through the glass.

“Nico di Angelo? Hi!” A nice lady's voice reached Nico's ears from the outside, coming in muffled. She was waving her hand happily. “C'mon, dear! Get off the car!” She kept smiling at him.

Nico turned towards the hospital driver with intense worry. The man nodded enthusiastically to encourage him. With a deep sigh, Nico opened the car door and grabbed his bag, stepping outside and glancing around him in fear.

“Hi! I'm Hazel. I'll be your tour guide for a couple of hours today and... well, you'll see me a lot here. I'm the Teenagers' Department Head. At your disposition.” Hazel offered Nico her hand to shake it. Nico limited himself to stare at it with distrust. The young lady sighed, withdrawing her hand and grabbing a pen from a pocket of her white coat. It was in that moment that Nico noticed she was holding a folder. “Okay. You're a bit upset. I understand. But trust me, we'll get along well together. Do you have a suitcase, Nico?”

The boy nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off the folder on which the nurse was writing something. The hospital driver wasn't in the car anymore, and was now taking Nico's baggage from the trunk. As soon as his suitcase touched the ground, the man patted Nico on a shoulder and wished him good luck. Hazel kept smiling for the whole time. “Thanks, Argus. See you next time.”

“No problem, dear. Bye.” The hospital driver bent his head as a greeting and got in the car again, leaving the parking lot with a tyre screech. Nico glanced at the black car turning round the corner and disappearing from his sight. When he looked at the nurse again, he was even more concerned.

Hazel cleared her throat very professionally. “I'll help you bringing your stuff inside. You'll understand that we have to check it before giving it back to you. Isn't it? We have to keep everyone safe.” She smiled reassuringly. “We trust you, Nico. But-”

“But, in fact, you don't.” Nico raised his gaze from the ground and gave her a sarcastic grin. “You can check whatever the heck you want. I've got nothing to hide.”

“This is great, Nico. If we trust each other, things will go well. Cooperation is the key in Blank Hill. Now... you can follow me.” Hazel smiled and grabbed Nico's suitcase. “You'll meet your therapists so they can welcome you here. But don't worry, your schedule will be packed starting from tomorrow. We'll give you one day to adjust.”

Nico nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat. Hazel escorted him in the building and he was really surprised to find out that it was actually... _nice_. The main entrance had a nice lobby with couches and a few little tables. An old woman sat behind a counter, taking phone calls and writing appointments on her computer.

“Okay. This is the lobby,” Hazel turned around and laid the suitcase on the floor. Nico wondered if it was too heavy. “You won't come here really often. Since you're new and we don't know you, you're confined to your department for forty-five days. You'll have free hours to spend outside of course. Two nurses will come with you every time. You're what in hospital jargon we call a “+2”. One patient and two nurses. For now, until your therapists decide it's safe to let you alone, that's how things are gonna work. All right? Now we'll go to the Teenagers' Department, also known as East Wing.”

Nico frowned in deep confusion. Too much information in just one single shot. “Plus two? What... what does it mean?”

Hazel smiled reassuringly. “It's just a usual procedure. A lot of patients become a “+1” in a very short time. If you follow the rules, follow your therapy, take your medications regularly... you'll be fine. I've got the feeling you'll be able to go outside as a +1 really soon. Now, your department.”

Nico nodded silently, reworking her words in his head. He wasn't allowed to go outside or do anything alone. What a great new. “Can I smoke?”

“I'm afraid no. You have to be eighteen to be able to smoke in your free hours. I'm sorry... but it's a great excuse to quit, isn't it?” Hazel smiled politely. “As I was saying... the Teenagers' Department hosts young boys and girls from fifteen to twenty years old. The Children Department hosts kids from five to fourteen years old and that's the West Wing. In the North Wing we have Adults, from twenty-one to seventy. We have very few over seventy patients, and they stay in the South Wing anyway. You'll never see them wandering around.”

Nico grabbed his suitcase before Hazel could have done it. “It's heavy. It's all right.”

Hazel stroked his shoulder fondly. “Thank you. You're a gentleman. All right, Nico. Follow me.”

They directed themselves towards a white and big door in the right side of the lobby. Said door towered in front of them, a golden plaque hanging from it: _Teenagers' Department. Blank Hill Hospital. Head: Hazel Levesque._ The woman took a magnetic card from her pocket and opened it. There was her name written on it with a picture of her. Nico followed her in a long, white and yellow corridor. The floor was so bright yellow that Nico felt his eyes aching. Hazel opened another door with her card. She began opening so many doors with that damn card that Nico had lost count. He had been a bit distracted when they had crossed a short path outside – being in the fresh air again, even if for a few seconds, had been amazing -, but then they were inside again.

Finally, they reached a room which was almost the exact replica of the main entrance lobby. The only difference was that there was no counter and no old lady behind it. There was a big TV hanging from the ceiling, many more couches and armchairs and two long corridors branched out in both directions – left and right. Nico laid his suitcase on the floor to glance around him, the fear momentarily forgotten. Everything looked _nice_. There were flowers, deck of cards everywhere and even some chess game boards here and there. Some tables had bowls of candies on them.

“So, Nico.” Nico turned towards Hazel with a dumb expression, making her chuckling in amusement. “I know. It doesn't look _so_ bad, after all. Doesn't it?” She smiled. “Left corridor is where the girls are. Right corridor, the boys. At the end of the boys' corridor there's the door for the canteen. You can access the canteen exclusively during meal times. At the end of the girls' corridor, there's the recreational area. Always accessible during the daytime. For therapy you'll be escorted through the door we just came from. So don't worry, you won't get lost.” Hazel stroked Nico's shoulder for the second time that day. “A nurse we'll come every day at 8 pm, after dinner, to distribute the medications to everyone. You have none for now, but I suppose you'll have starting from tomorrow. Please, take them. There are patients who hide them under their tongue. A waste of energy, really. We always check. So now you know.” Hazel winked teasingly. “Any questions?”

“Is... is there a bathroom?” Nico asked in confusion. He couldn't think of something more clever.

Hazel chuckled. “Of course. Every corridor has a common bathroom. You'll find it immediately. They're really big. If you need to shave or doing something else, you can ask a nurse. We'll keep an eye on you.”

Nico huffed a sarcastic chuckle. “You don't leave patients with sharp objects on their own, don't you?”

Hazel looked at him with a sparkle in her eyes. She found that boy extremely receptive. “Exactly. You'll have your schedule printed for tomorrow. Until that moment... just follow your roommate for dinner. You'll have a free afternoon to organise your stuff in your room. Now, we have to check your belongings and meet your therapists. Are you ready?”

Nico looked at her with worry. He began liking that woman enough to show her he was afraid. She seemed fine. “A-all right...”

“Perfect. Follow me,” she winked. “ _Again_.”

** **

Nico was shaken. His therapists – he had two, apparently – had given him so much information that he was feeling his head exploding. The psychiatrist he was going to see more frequently was a woman. Her name was Annabeth Chase and she looked vaguely severe and creepy, with her grey stormy eyes always studying him. Nico wondered how he was going to trust a person with such an unreadable expression.

The second therapist was a guy and looked much more friendly. Nico didn't know if it was for the fact that he had a thing for boys, but he felt good vibes coming from him. His name was Jason Grace and he was in charge of the group therapy and the recreational activities. The therapists were both blond – not that it mattered too much -, tall and well-built.

After their meeting, Hazel Levesque had escorted him to his room, which was momentarily empty. Nico had wondered where everyone was, so he had asked. The nurse had told him that every two Sundays it was “visits day”. Visits day took place in another area of the department, leaving the lobby and the little rooms empty for a couple of hours. Everyone had to go in order to work on their socialization. Even if they had no visits.

Nico had emptied his suitcase – which had passed Annabeth's surveillance, by the way – and was now sitting on his bed in the right side of the room. He was reading the schedule that Jason Grace had printed for him. The thing was so packed that Nico wanted to protest. How was it possible to remember _so many things_?!

 _Wake up: 7.30_  
_Breakfast: 8.00 – 8.45_  
_Therapy: 9.00 – 10.30_  
_Socially useful hour (changing every week): 11.00 - 12.00_  
_Lunch: 12.15 – 13.45_  
_Free time: 13.45 – 14.30_  
_Group therapy: 14.30 – 15.30_  
_Recreational group activities (changing in Visits Day every two Sundays): 15.30 – 17.00_  
_Fresh air hour: 17.00 – 18.00_  
_Dinner: 18.30 – 20.00_  
_Medications: 20.00 – 20.15_  
_Free time: 20.15 – 22.15_  
_Curfew: 22.15_  
_Lights off: 23.00_  
_Sundays are FREE DAYS._

Since it was almost 5 pm, Visits Day was going to end soon. Hazel had reassured him that he didn't have to follow his schedule for that day – meals excluded, obviously. Not only because it was a Sunday and there wasn't therapy on Sunday, but also because he was a new patient. Nico didn't know if he was happy about it or not. Did it mean he had to stay alone basically for the whole afternoon? He wanted to meet his roommate. He wondered what kind of guy he was. What did he do to be there in the first place? Was he a quiet type? Nico _loved_ quite types. And he hated those people who shouted all the time just because they didn't know how to express themselves.

All of a sudden, a noise of chatters and laughter reached his ears from the corridor. It sounded like a bunch of people had stormed in the lobby, not even trying to be quiet or anything. Since his door was closed, he couldn't see the guys walking towards their rooms. He could perfectly hear their steps and voices, but nothing else. When the door opened, though, Nico raised his head from the sheet of paper he had in his hands and looked at the boy who had just appeared with legit surprise. He hadn't heard him arriving.

The boy in front of him was scrawny, short and had a mop of dark hair on his head similar to Nico's. His eyes were light brown and he was wearing a white shirt with suspenders and a pair of blue jeans. He was holding a tiny stuffed dragon in his hands. The two boys looked at each other quietly, analysing every feature of the other.

“Hi,” the boy said warily, putting a hand on the door handle as if he was ready to run away at any moment. Or to hold himself from fainting. Nico didn't know.

“Hi.” Nico put his schedule on the mattress and raised an eyebrow at him. “I'm Nico.”

The boy didn't answer. He kept staring at him like Nico was the greatest menace of his life. The knuckles of his left hand were turning white for the effort to grab the door handle tighter. The other hand was gripping the stuffed dragon in the same way.

“They warned you about... your new roommate, didn't they?” Nico added, noticing that the boy had no intention whatsoever to open his mouth.

The little guy nodded shyly, though his lips were trembling for the effort to hold a sob.

“What is your name?” Nico stood up and made a step towards him, immediately regretting his decision. That had been a _very_ bad idea. In fact, the boy gasped in pure terror and let go of his stuffed dragon, slamming his back against the door and widening his eyes with intense fear. Nico instantly raised his hands in defence. “ _Hey_. Hey, there. I won't touch you. I'm just your roommate. Calm down.” He bent down and picked the stuffed animal, handing it to him. “This is yours. Isn't it? It's nice.”

The boy was panting, but stretched out an arm to grab the little dragon anyway. After a couple of minutes in which Nico had done absolutely nothing, the other boy exhaled heavily and sat on his bed. He kept glancing at Nico every two seconds with great shame. “S-sorry. I had forgotten about you. New things... it's just...” the boy blushed furiously. “I'm... I'm Leo.”

Nico nodded slowly, even if Leo couldn't see him since he was staring at the carpet. “It's all right. Don't worry. New things are... scary.”

Leo nodded, smiling sheepishly. “Especially for me.”

“Oh.” Nico sat on his bed next to Leo's. On the boy's night-stand there was a _Toy Story_ lamp with Woody, Buzz Lightyear and everything. He couldn't help but frowning in amusement. Seriously, how old that boy was? Five? “I see. It's okay.”

“How old are you?” Leo asked, biting his lower lip and finally looking at Nico in the eyes.

“I'm 17. What about you?”

Leo frowned with worry. Apparently he didn't like the answer. “I'm 15. There's basically no one younger than me here. I moved from the Children Department two months ago.”

Nico huffed a chuckle. “It's not your fault if you're younger. It's your parents'.” Leo's face darkened in a matter of a second. Nico wondered what was wrong with what he had just said. “Hey... I didn't mean that-”

“Heeey, Hot Stuff! What about that- _oh man_.”

Leo and Nico both immediately raised their heads towards the boy who had just entered the room. Nico had to stand up and gasp when the stranger approached him with two long strides, grabbing his shirt and attaching him against the closet. That guy was grinning so widely that Nico could count all the teeth in his mouth.

“ _New kid_ ,” he whispered against Nico's lips. “Hi.” He let go of his shirt to put both his hands on his hips and to study him from feet to head. “You're hot.”

Nico took a deep breath to recover from the shock. Was that guy even serious?! “I'm _what_?”

“You're hot.” The boy winked mischievously. “Don't act like you don't know it. What's your name? How old are you? How much crazy are you? Which meds do you take?”

“What-” Nico raised his hands to keep the boy away from him. “What the fuck?! Who are _you_?” Nico heard Leo sighing from exasperation from his bed.

The boy smirked, making Nico shivering down his spine and wondering why his eyes were sparkling so dangerously. “Percy. I'm the oldest here. You better answer when I ask you something. How old are you? What's your _damn_ name?”

Nico challenged the boy with a deep stare. “I'm Nico. And I'm 17. And I don't give a shit if you're older than everyone here. You are as nuts as I am.”

Percy's eyes darkened so quickly that Nico began fearing for his safety. But then the boy's lips curved in a wide smirk that openly clashed with the darkness of his eyes. “We'll see that, babe.” Percy burst out laughing like a maniac and left the room _hopping_.

Nico sat on his bed in pure shock. “What the hell did just happen?”

Leo rolled his eyes and laid on the mattress, stroking his stuffed dragon fondly like it was a pet. “Percy happened. He's like an earthquake. Watch out... I think he likes you.”

“Isn't it a good thing?” Nico asked in confusion.

“No. It is worse if he likes you.” Leo began humming some weird songs Nico didn't recognise, always petting his little dragon.

Nico stared at him with worry, re-working the information about Percy in his head. He was trying really hard to ignore the fact that Leo had turned around to lay on his stomach and was now playing with some toy soldiers. Seriously, could he be 15 years old? Was he serious?

But most important thing... where _the hell_ was he?

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deeply apologize, but I remembered that I wasn't going to be able to post tomorrow because I'll be busy for the whole weekend!
> 
> So, here it is a chapter. Have a good Friday!

When a nurse slammed the door open the morning after at exactly 7.30 am, Nico wanted to commit a murder. How _dare_ she waking him up in such a brutal way! At home he could wake up whenever he wanted. Susan, the housemaid, would have given him breakfast at any time of the day. Nico could even decide whether going to school or not. He was allowed to do basically everything as long as he didn't get on his father's nerves. Since his sister had died six years earlier, Hades di Angelo had been dangerously permissive with his son.

So, when he refused to get up, the nurse raised an eyebrow sceptically and tossed his sheets on the floor. “Get up _now_! Or I'm calling the guards. And they will probably drag you towards the canteen by your ankles.”

Nico sat on the mattress and gazed at Leo with a questioning look. The boy wore a t-shirt and then chuckled at his funny facial expression. “Oh, they'll totally do it. I saw that happening a lot of times. Especially with Piper.”

“Who's Piper?”

“You'll have plenty of time to ask questions during breakfast. Get up, little prince. C'mon.” The nurse crossed her arms on her chest and waited for Nico to do something.

Nico frowned. “Does... does this mean that you'll wait? I have to change.”

Leo chuckled again. “Claire will wait until she makes sure we are both fully dressed and heading to the canteen or the bathroom. Every morning of every day.”

The woman nodded in appreciation with a straight face. “Exactly.”

Nico sighed in resignation and picked an outfit. He wanted to wear his black shirt with black jeans. He loved the way they fitted him. Glancing around the room, he noticed that there was no mirror. “There's... there's no mirror?”

“In the bathroom,” Leo answered, directing himself outside the door and picking his stuffed dragon with him. “Where I'm heading right now.”

Nico soon followed him, leaving Claire in their room for the regular morning check. “Why does she have to check the room? Is she going to make our beds?”

“Absolutely no. They want you to make your bed every day. It is part of the therapy. You have to be responsible of your own things. She has to check because... well, because that's how they do things here. There were some kids who were building a hookah last month. It was hilarious.” He chuckled.

Nico didn't know how Leo managed to walk down the corridor without bumping into everyone. As soon as they reached the boys' bathroom, Nico almost had a heart attack. Oh, how much he _hated_ common bathrooms. Kids were walking here and there, brushing their teeth, locking themselves in the cubicles and in general being loud. “This is a nightmare.”

“You'll get used to it,” Leo said, putting his dragon in front of him on the sink and stroking his head affectionately. He then began looking for a towel in his little bag. The way which Leo treated that stuffed animal was seriously starting to worry Nico.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped his shoulders, making Nico starling on the spot. He tried to turn around, but said arm was had a firm grip on him. “Hot Stuff... good morning. New Kid, good morning. We have to find you a proper nickname.”

Nico turned his head towards Percy and rolled his eyes. “Can you _please_ let go of my shoulders?”

Percy kissed him on a cheek. “Sure.” He wrapped his arm around Nico's waist, instead. “Tell me why you're here and I'll let go of you.”

Leo looked at them from the mirror and sighed thoroughly. That was probably something that used to happen every time a new kid arrived, Nico guessed. No one in the bathroom was surprised about the fact that Percy was hugging a complete stranger in front of everyone. “Percy... give him time. It has been just a day. Let him breathe.”

Percy quickly turned towards Leo and grinned mischievously. “You're defending the New Kid? Your new little friend? Let's just hope he's not gonna... _catch fire_.” He wiggled his eyebrows knowingly towards Leo's direction.

Nico frowned in confusion for that ass joke. What did it mean? Did Percy think to be funny? But when he saw Leo bursting into tears shamelessly and dropping on the floor, Nico gasped and unkindly pushed Percy away. He reached the boy, who was now hiding under the sink. “Hey! Hey, it's all right. There's no need to cry!”

Leo didn't seem to care anyway, and hid his face in his arms, crying louder than ever. The other boys in the bathroom didn't even notice. Nico gazed around the room in terror. What did he have to do?!

Apparently from nowhere his answer arrived, and a nurse appeared, walking fast towards Leo. The man grabbed one of his arms and kindly helped him to stand up, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and taking the stuffed dragon with the other hand. He gave it to the boy. “Okay, Leo. Come with me.” He then turned towards Percy, who was laughing. “Don't you even _fantasise_ about the fact that I won't tell Miss Chase, Percy.” The two walked past Nico and disappeared in the corridor. Nico could still hear Leo crying from the distance.

What the _hell_ did just happen?!

Percy had kept chuckling for the whole time. “So what? What could change? I'm fucked up, already,” Percy winked at Nico. “Don't you think?” He began laughing again, directing himself towards the canteen. At Nico's eyes, he looked insanely happy.

After having recovered from the shock, Nico grabbed Leo's bag from the floor. Maybe it was a good idea to bring it back to their room. But first, since he was feeling so lost and confused, he decided to ask one the boys for explanation. Nico kindly grabbed a blond guy's arm before he could have left the bathroom. “I'm sorry... but who the hell is that boy? Percy? What's his problem with Leo?”

The blond boy who Nico had just stopped stared at him with an unreadable expression. His eyes were vacuous, staring at him blankly. As soon as another guy noticed their _interaction_ , he approached them, tapping Nico on a shoulder. “Let go of him. He won't answer, anyway.”

Nico raised an eyebrow at the unknown stranger and let go of the blond guy's arm, who kept walking outside the bathroom as if nothing had happened. “Why wasn't he going to answer? Because I'm the new kid?”

The boy chuckled and shook his head in amusement. “No. It's not because of you. It's because he hasn't talked in two years. To anybody. That's Percy's roommate, Will Solace. But don't worry... he didn't talk even _before_ coming here. Percy just worsened the situation.”

“ _What_?! Two years?” Nico widened his eyes in shock. “How the hell does he do that?”

The boy shrugged. “How do I know? By the way, I'm Luke. And you are?”

Nico blushed in embarrassment. “Ah, sorry. I'm Nico. What's... what's the deal with that Percy guy? Is he a sadistic?” He huffed a brief chuckle, regretting his decision immediately.

In fact, Luke was looking at him in genuine seriousness. “No. We have no sadistic cases this month. Percy is a paranoid schizophrenic.”

Nico paled. “... He's what?”

Luke patted him on a shoulder, a smirk on his face. “Don't worry, Nico. You'll get used to everyone. We're all a little mad here. Let's just say that Percy is just a bit more... _racy_.” He smiled at him, leaving the bathroom behind his back.

Nico glanced around the room at the few boys who were chatting and chuckling around him.

Okay, he was getting seriously scared.

** **

Nico had eaten his breakfast in silence and on his own during that first morning. He had studied the canteen deeply and for a long time, trying to understand how things worked there and if there was some kind of hierarchy between the patients. Apparently, there were two “group leaders” in his department. Percy was obviously the leader of the boys: everyone did how they were told by him; they asked him things; Percy claimed for favours and other stuff and everyone accomplished. The leader of the girls was a brown haired teenage girl, tanned and extremely beautiful. Her table was full of people who claimed for her attention. Together, Percy and she got everyone's attention.

After that fruitful breakfast, Nico was afraid to attend his first therapy session. The idea that someone was going to ask him a lot of private and intimate things made Nico upset. Plus, he didn't like Dr. Annabeth Chase. She looked vaguely intimidating and strict. So, when the two nurses escorted him to her office, Nico was tempted to run away. Now he understood why patients were escorted everywhere outside of the lobby.

One of the nurses knocked on the doctor's door. The woman on the other side let Nico in. It was a bit weird at the beginning, but Nico soon noticed that he felt somehow safe in there. Dr. Chase asked him a few routine questions about him and his family, trying to put him in a picture. She didn't know much about him, after all. The sheet of paper in front of her had been soon filled with much information about him. There were schemes, paragraphs, encircled words. Nico couldn't believe she had managed to do that in just half an hour.

“And so... that's how things work at home, Dr. Chase. I'm allowed to do anything,” Nico finished his sentence, politely waiting for the woman to write everything down.

She raised her gaze, locking her eyes with Nico's. The reassuring smile on her face was making Nico feeling warm. Funny how rapidly he had changed opinion about her. “It's Annabeth, Nico. We're on the same level. I want you to trust me and to feel free to talk to me about anything.”

Nico nodded politely. “Okay... Annabeth.”

Annabeth smiled again, crossing her hands over the table professionally. “That's it. Now... about the reason why you're here, Nico. It will never be too early to talk about it. I gave you some tests and questions to answer in your free time and those will help me understand a few things, but the easiest way to get to know you is talking. Would you please tell what did you do that day, a couple of weeks ago? Tell me how that day was.”

Nico stared at her warily, playing with a dice he had found in a basket full of a great variety of toys near Dr. Chase's couch. “It was just... a normal day. I went to school. I met some friends for a pizza. When I got home I was feeling tired, but I couldn't sleep. So I took my mom's sleeping pills.”

“Have you always had problems falling asleep?” Annebeth asked him, while writing down what Nico had just said.

“I think so? I don't really know. I've never slept much,” Nico shrugged.

Annabeth chuckled, looking at him. “Me neither.” Nico smiled. “But... you took too many sleeping pills, didn't you?”

“Apparently. I didn't know the right dosage.” Nico began scratching one of the surfaces of the dice he had in his hands. “I just... wanted to sleep.”

“Nico... you took the whole bottle. I think you perfectly knew that wasn't the right dosage.” Annabeth stared at him cautiously. Nico was staring at the dice in his lap. “I'm not judging you, Nico. I'll never do. I'm here to help you. I think that was a cry for help.”

Nico raised his head towards the woman. “You don't think I tried to kill myself?”

Annabeth's eyes sparkled with that hint of cleverness that gave her an aura of general composure. She shook her head slowly. “I personally don't. You knew your dad was going to check on you. He always makes sure you're at home before locking the door, doesn't he? You just told me.” Nico nodded. “I think you wanted him to find you unconscious. You didn't even hid the empty bottle. You let it on your night-stand.”

Nico frowned. “How do you know these things?”

“I read the hospital report. The one your father released that night.” Annabeth chuckled. “I'm not a seer, you know.”

Nico's eyes were empty. “I... I don't want to die, Annabeth. But I'm afraid I will. Soon.”

Annabeth bent her head with concern. “Do you mean you have some kind of premonition or feeling?”

“No,” Nico shook his head, sniffing a bit. He wanted to cry. “I'm just saying that... I'm afraid I will feel so badly that I'll eventually want to kill myself. For real.”

Dr. Chase wrote Nico's words down and then looked at him again. “I see. Nico, if you trust me... we'll go through this. Do you think you can do it?”

Nico blankly stared at the dice for while. A tear was streaming down his face. “Y-yeah,” he said with a choked voice. “I can do that.”

Annabeth Chase smiled affectionately, handing him a Kleenex box. “I know you can.”

** **

For his “socially useful hour”, Nico had to clean the canteen floor for the whole first week. Other patients wiped the tables, emptied the baskets, others cleaned the bathrooms. Nico soon understood that there were turns. Hearing Dr. Chase, the socially useful hour was necessary to let the patients feel as a completing part of society, being one of the most important things in order to properly heal. Nico agreed. At the beginning, he had been concerned about his packed schedule, but now he saw its utility. Nico had been in Blank Hill just for two weeks, and he already felt hopeful.

Every night, at 8 pm, a nurse gave him his sleeping pills – the right dosage, nonetheless – and his antidepressants. Following the rules, following therapy and taking his meds were actions that were seriously giving him some remarkable results. Nico had never imaged he could have felt so full of hope again in his life. It didn't happen since his sister had left him.

Nico also managed to know the patients – his new _friends_ – better. They were all nice people... Percy Jackson excluded. Not only he was the leader of the boys, but he basically was the leader of everyone. Percy had the greatest manipulation skills. Everyone was afraid of him. And they had reasons to.

Percy Jackson had been admitted in Blank Hill not because he was a paranoid schizophrenic – his parents already knew that, and he was perfectly fine taking his meds and living at home with them -; he had been admitted in Blank Hill because he had set fire to his neighbour's house. The only explanation he had given to the police was that said neighbour was planning a conspiracy to destroy the White House.

That had been why his parents had freaked out. Understandably.

Leo had told Nico that Percy's parents always came to Visits Day. They were really nice people. It broke their hearts to see Percy in a mental institution, but that had been the only possible legal measure to solve his problem. Otherwise, jail was waiting for him since he wasn't a minor. His beautiful sea-green eyes hadn't charmed the jury though, which had obviously recognised his mental disorder, and so he had been admitted in Blank Hill forcibly. Better than prison, after all. Even if Percy didn't think exactly the same about it.

As one of their usual days, they were having group therapy with Dr. Grace. Nico found group therapy genuinely entertaining and useful. It helped him to keep in mind that he wasn't the only one suffering and crying his heart out during his therapy sessions with Annabeth. Nico wondered how the doctor managed not to freak out listening to all that whining every single day. Annabeth had laughed at the question, and then she had told him that she was the first one seeing a therapist there. It was necessary if she wanted her mind to stay clear in order to help them.

When Dr. Grace threw the little stuffed ball at him, Nico was distracted from his thoughts, letting it fall on the floor. Some patients chuckled, other didn't even care. As he grabbed the red ball at his feet, he raised his gaze at Jason in confusion. “Sorry, Dr. Grace... I wasn't paying attention. What should I talk about?”

The blond doctor smiled at him kindly. “Too many thoughts? Don't worry. I asked your companions to tell me about their biggest joy. What's your biggest joy, Nico?”

Nico sighed quietly, thinking about an answer for a few seconds. Then, he realised he perfectly knew it. “My biggest joy is... it's the memory of my sister, Bianca. She's my biggest joy.” Leo, who was sitting in front of him, smiled sheepishly. He had listened to some stories about her. Nico had told him a few.

Piper McLean – that was how the girls' leader was called, Nico had found out – awed ceremoniously and loudly with the clear intention to get on his nerves. Dr. Grace smiled at her. “Yes, thank you Piper. Nico, throw the ball at Piper... so she can tell us what's her biggest joy.”

Nico did how he was told and the girl grabbed the red ball, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Do I really have to do this?” Percy, sitting next to her, chuckled. “C'mon. Everyone knows what's my biggest joy.”

Dr. Grace bent his head to a side and frowned. “Oh? But I don't. Would you tell me, at least?”

Piper raised an eyebrow at him, crossing her legs on the chair. “Jason, stop _flirting_. Not in front of the patients,” she winked mischievously, making almost everyone laughing.

The man took it very professionally. “Piper, please. This is not a joke,” he sighed with a faint but polite smile. “Your biggest joy.”

“Whatever.” She snorted. “My biggest joys is... my biggest joy is fucking.” Some patients laughed again.

Dr. Grace scratched his forehead in resignation. Coming from a sociopath with promiscuous tendencies, that had been the least that could have happened. “All right. Choose a friend and throw him or her the ball.”

Piper distractedly put the ball in Percy's lap, making him chuckling. He began tossing it in the air just to catch it instants later, repeating the gesture several times. “My biggest joy, then. Let me think.” Nico rolled his eyes. That guy pissed him to death. “My biggest joy is hitting on Dr. Grace.”

Piper laughed so loud that she threw her head back. On the other hand, Jason was blushing furiously, momentarily forgetting that he had to be professional. “Percy, _please_. Don't let me report to Dr. Chase about this.”

Throwing the ball in the air again, Percy huffed a chuckle. “Right, then. My biggest joy is peeping at di Angelo taking a shower in the morning.”

While some of Percy's friends laughed, on the other side of the circle of chairs Nico paled. “You do _what_?!”

Dr. Grace stood up and approached Percy, taking the red ball away from his hands and throwing it on the floor. “This is very inappropriate, Percy. You can't violate anyone's privacy, being the main reason you're here. Whether you're being serious or not, I'm politely asking you to get out of this room. You're making other patients uncomfortable.”

Percy raised an eyebrow at him and crossed his arms on his chest. “You're kicking me out of _therapy_ , Jay?”

“Yes.” Jason put his hands on his hips, his professional straight face never faltering. “Please. You'll talk about this with Miss Chase.”

Percy swallowed hard and his eyes darkened. Somehow, Jason had managed to upset him. The most difficult thing to do with Percy during therapy – with both Annabeth or Jason - was to make him feeling _things_. His apathetic behaviour was worrying and dangerous. The boy stood up with anger, kicking the chair against the wall and making everyone startling. “ _Fine_.” He reached the door of the therapy group room and slammed it open. A guard immediately saw him and escorted him towards the lobby.

Dr. Grace stopped staring at the wall in defeat – another therapy session with Percy had ended badly – and turned around to give a look at his patients. “Sorry about this, guys.” He grabbed the ball from the floor, throwing it at Leo. “Let's go on.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter on Sunday evening (CEST)! Hope you liked it :D


	3. Chapter 3

That day had been cloudy and rainy since the very beginning. Nico wasn't surprised about the fact that the weather hadn't improved much during the afternoon. He was now forced to spend his fresh air hour outside freezing his ass on a bench and trying to read a book with a nurse basically staring at him all the damn time.

When a raindrop hit a page of his book, the two were forced to move under the gazebo. Nico was fine with it. The gazebo was pretty nice, after all. Three benches were positioned at the sides, and in the middle towered a huge coffee table where patients drank their teas in peace. Another girl was reading, sitting on a bench and taking sips from her mug. The nurse next to her was writing God knew what on a sheet of paper attached to her folder.

As soon as Nico sat down on the bench in front of her, followed by his nurse instants later, the girl raised her head and smiled at him sheepishly. “Hi.”

Nico smiled back. “Hey.”

The girl put her book down warily. Apparently, both the nurses were minding their business, pretending to give them a bit of privacy. “You're Nico, right?”

“Yes. And you are...? Sorry, I've been here for four weeks and I don't really remember all the names.” Nico blushed in embarrassment.

“Don't worry.” The girl shook her head. “I'm Reyna. I'm sorry I've never talked to you... I didn't know you. But then you said those nice things about human rights yesterday at group therapy... You're clever.”

Nico grinned, genuinely pleased by that compliment. What a pity he was irredeemably gay. “It's okay. I can understand. You never talk much during therapy, don't you? You're quiet.”

Reyna nodded, scratching her elbow distractedly. “Yeah. I'm afraid to say something stupid. The only reason I'm talking to you right now is... well, I lost my sister too. I was very little though. I barely remember her.”

“I'm sorry. Is that the reason you're here or...?” Nico smiled awkwardly. He didn't want to sound nosy.

“Oh, no.” Reyna blushed. “The reason I'm here is... I basically almost died from food deprivation. I was so overwhelmed by my OCD that I didn't eat for six days.” Nico widened his eyes. “I know. It's weird. College made my disorder worsening... I kept checking if the books were aligned, if the stoves were off, if I had my keys... I did those things so many times that I didn't even sleep. My roommate found me unconscious on the floor. So... the hospital proposed a period here in Blank Hill. I've been here since three months.”

“You didn't have to tell me everything about this. I feel guilty, now.” Nico smiled reassuringly, though he was glad she had told him. He was still learning to be sincere about his problems. Seeing others doing the same was encouraging.

“Don't! I thought about talking to you for a couple of days now. I don't have many friends, you know.” She blushed. “What about you?”

Nico shrugged. “I don't, either. My only friend is Leo. And about the reason I'm here... I almost tried to kill myself to get my father's attention. My diagnosis is depression, accompanied by a post-traumatic stress disorder. Why having one problem? It is better to have a few!”

They both chuckled for the joke. Reyna was the first one to talk again. “PTSD, uh? Sounds good.”

“Especially when you realise it years later. Lovely.” Nico winked teasingly.

“What are you reading?” The girl pointed at the book in Nico's lap.

Nico took the book in his hands and began leafing through the pages. “ _Lord of the Flies_. A little bit distressing, but still entertaining. What about you?”

“Oh! It's a great book. I'm reading _Life of Pi_. And I'm seriously loving it!” Reyna was smiling and blushing a bit at the same time. “It's nice to find a... a boy who likes reading. There aren't a lot here. And you look... nice, too.” She blushed even more.

Nico raised an eyebrow at the compliment. Re-working the information in his brain, Reyna was probably trying to flirt with him. How did she take the courage to do it in front of their nurses? That was a mystery. “You are nice, too. But I'd better tell you one thing straight away... you know. I'm _slightly_ gay.”

Reyna widened her eyes like a guilty puppy who had just destroyed a pillow. She quickly glanced at her nurse, noticing that she was working on her schedule, but that she also was biting her lower lip in a ridiculous attempt not to laugh. The girl sighed thoroughly. “Oh my God. I just made a fool of myself. I apologize.”

Nico chuckled in genuine amusement. “Please! Don't feel ashamed. It's all right. I'm flattered. I think I just found a good friend.” He smiled reassuringly to the girl.

Hearing the word _friend_ made Reyna smiling. “What about we sit at the same table at dinner? You can introduce me to your friend Leo. You know... Annabeth said I have to interact. Maybe she's right.”

“If Annabeth said so... you absolutely have to have dinner with us tonight.”

Nico winked at her and they both smiled at each other.

** **

That Saturday night Nico felt restless. He kept turning around under the sheets, trying not to provoke too much noise and so waking Leo up. His roommate didn't really appreciate it when a sudden noise or voice woke him up in the middle of the night. He was afraid of the dark. But really, was there a thing Leo wasn't afraid of? Nico really couldn't blame him, though. Being friend with Reyna had been a good thing because she knew everybody's back story, apparently. Also Leo's. The girl was so quiet that no one seemed to notice when she was in a room. She had heard so many stories that Nico wondered how she managed to keep them all in mind.

So, when Reyna had told Nico what had happened to Leo, Nico's heart had sunk. When the boy was 7 years old, his house had burned down. The only reason Leo survived was that his mother had protected him with her body. Leo had stayed between his mother's arms for almost half an hour before the firemen arrived. She was dead. His father was dead. Leo had looked at their bodies being hidden by big white cloths under his eyes. His post-traumatic stress disorder had been so unmanageable that his aunt had taken him to Blank Hill just a year later. Leo was 8 years old when he began taking sedatives. And he had taken them ever since. The phobias were so overwhelming that Nico wasn't really convinced Leo was ever going to able to go back home.

Hearing about Leo's story had also helped Nico to understand why Percy had managed to upset him so much during his first morning in Blank Hill. Percy's words had hit Leo so strongly that the boy had had an instant break down. Nico hadn't seen him for the whole day. The fire thing was also the reason why Leo was afraid of Percy so much. More than the other patients, anyway. And Nico perfectly got why. If Percy was someone able to set fire to a house, he was the greatest menace for Leo.

Nico was about to fall asleep when someone began knocking on the door. As he opened his eyes, he noticed that Leo had sat up on the mattress, looking at the door with fear. Weren't there any guards? Patients couldn't absolutely wander around during night. That was a thing that could have never happened. But still, there's was someone.

“I got this. Don't worry,” Nico said, standing up and directing himself towards the door. Leo was hiding behind a pillow, his stuffed dragon under his arm. As Nico opened the door, Piper McLean's sparkling eyes were the only things he could see. “What _the_... Piper? How did you manage to get here without being seen?”

Piper smiled evilly, turning her head to her side to look at someone who was out of Nico's view. “ _You_ 're telling your crush how.”

Nico frowned in confusion at Piper's words, but then he had to roll his eyes as soon as Percy's face appeared in front of him. “Hi, New Kid. I drugged the guard nurse.”

“You did what?! Are you _crazy_?” Nico asked, trying to whisper while shouting. How he could do both at the same time wasn't clear.

“Crazy?” Percy chuckled. “You forget where we are, di Angelo. Take your little friend over there and come to my room. We stole ice cream from the canteen.”

“No. We're not coming.” Nico crossed his arms on his chest, icing Percy with one of his scary looks. He had learned that one from his father. “We're not breaking the rules.”

Percy raised an eyebrow at him. The moonlight filtering from Nico and Leo's curtains was illuminating his face. Nico couldn't help but thinking that, crazy or not, Percy was extremely beautiful. “No? Okay then. We're moving to your room. Pipes, go tell everyone to come here. Don't forget the ice cream. I'm fucking starving.” After saying those words, Percy walked past Nico and entered the room, turning the lights on and sitting on Leo's bed. The boy withdrew his legs and pressed them against his chest, swallowing the lump he had in his throat.

“Percy...” Nico rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Keep this to your room. We don't want to get involved. And I can assure you that someone is going to notice.”

In the exact same instant in which Nico had finished the sentence, a few people entered his room. Piper closed the door behind her back and threw two ice cream boxes on Leo's bed. In the meanwhile, Nico was looking at the people who had just arrived. There was Will Solace – and Nico had the feeling that he didn't want to be there -, another guy which Nico didn't know and... oh, _damn_. There was Piper's roommate: Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Rachel was the most disturbing girl Nico had ever met. Her diagnosis was a borderline personality disorder, but apart from that, she was scary for other reasons. First of all, she had no sense of what was right or wrong. Second of all, as a consequence, she did everything Piper told her without blinking. And, most important thing, she hated Nico for no evident reasons. Rachel Elizabeth Dare also was very thin. Nico didn't know for sure, but he was pretty convinced that the redhead girl was struggling with some eating disorder he knew nothing about.

Piper sat on the carpet, dragging Nico down with her by his wrist. Nico had to sit down against his will. “So, Neeks. This is Frank. He's the one who gave us the sleeping pills we melted in Claire's coffee. Being the only reason why he's allowed to stay here.” The dark-haired boy called Frank blushed, playing with the hem of his pyjama shirt. “By the way, what time is it?”

“It's 3 am. Almost.” Percy stood up from Leo's bed, patting his knee affectionately, and sat down next to Nico on the carpet. He had brought the ice cream with him. “Do we have spoons?”

“Do you think I'm that stupid? Rach.” Piper snapped her fingers twice and Rachel grabbed a few spoons she was hiding under her clothes. Piper gave one to everyone. “Hot Stuff, do you want ice cream?”

Leo reluctantly tossed the sheets away and sat in front of Nico, between Rachel and Frank. He didn't absolutely want to sit next to Percy. “Yes.” He grabbed the spoon Piper was handing to him.

They began eating the ice cream, with Percy and Piper who were chatting about this and that, having fun and chuckling. Nico observed Rachel as she began conversing, too. The three looked like a group of normal friends, having a good time and trying to live the time of their lives. Nico frowned with sadness. That wasn't a bad thing to do, after all. Okay... they had drugged a nurse and stole things from the canteen, but they weren't doing anything so bad. Weren't they?

Without noticing, Nico spoke out loud. “Piper, is it true you stole a Maserati from the dealership? I've heard stories.”

Piper licked her spoon and raised an eyebrow at Nico, chuckling for the question. “Yeah. It is. Envying me?”

Nico shrugged. “I don't have to steal a car if I want one. Envying me?”

“That is to say? Are you rich?” Piper kept licking her spoon provocatively. “Interesting.”

“Yeah. I'm rich. Maybe you- _uh oh_ , what the hell are you doing?!” Nico gasped as Piper approached him on all fours and straddled his lap without any warning, wrapping her arms around his neck. Percy was chuckling. “Get off _me_! Jeez!”

Piper kissed his cheek sensually. “We could be really close friends, Neeks. Really, _really_ close.”

Percy laid on his elbows, crossing his legs on the floor and purposely touching Leo's legs on the other side of the small circle. “Do we have to leave, Pipes?”

“Probably,” whispered the girl, who had began leaving soft kisses down Nico's neck.

“ _Hell no_!” Nico grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away. “This is not going to happen! I'm _gay_ , Jesus Christ.”

“So what? Not a problem.” Piper put her hands on her hips casually, always straddling Nico without any shame.

Nico huffed a sarcastic chuckle. “It _is_ a problem if I don't like you enough to get hard in my pants.”

Percy burst out laughing, shoving Piper on a shoulder with mocking. “Fair enough, Pipes. Get off.” The girl rolled her eyes in exasperation, standing up and sprawling on Leo's bed instants later. She began playing with his stuffed dragon, while Leo was looking at her in worry. His uneasiness was clearly evident, and so Percy had noticed. In fact, the sea-green eyed boy licked his lips evilly. “Leo. Why the hell do you like that stuffed thing so much?”

Leo turned around to look at him and blushed, hugging his legs against his chest to protect himself from Percy. It was pretty obvious he wanted to cry. “It's... it's a present from my aunt.”

“Oh? Nice.” Percy smirked teasingly. “Did you know that dragons breathe fire?”

Leo's lips began trembling and Nico could hear Piper chuckling from the bed. Nico stood up with anger. It was time to make that stupid spoiled child understanding that he couldn't destroy Leo whenever he wanted. So, with a studied kick on Percy's thigh, Nico scolded him. “Stand _the fuck_ up and leave. You're a horrible person.”

Percy stood up immediately, copying Nico's gesture, but unfortunately he hadn't done that to obey. His desire was to tower over Nico, since he was taller than him. “I'm _not_. He's been here for... how much time? _Seven_ years? And he still reacts this way when I provoke him? Something isn't working here, is it?”

Nico huffed a sarcastic and brief laugh. “So you're saying you want to help him? Such an altruist guy. Please, spare me this bullshit of yours.”

Percy went suddenly serious, crossing his arms on his chest and taking Nico by surprise. He had never looked so... _concerned_. “I'm sick of seeing him crying every fucking day at therapy. Or hiding under _things_. He's fifteen years old and he acts like a child. Maybe my methods aren't so conventional, but _I am not_ a horrible person. So don't you dare saying such a thing to me again.”

Nico studied the person he had in front of him with deep interest. Was Percy seriously showing him he actually had feelings? During his first month in Blank Hill, the only things Nico had seen Percy doing were breaking the rules, getting on the nurses' nerves, being loud in general, and refusing to take his pills. The boy had lost count of how many times he had seen him being sedated by a nurse. And now that conversation was happening. Percy actually cared about someone. Was that a joke? “But... but don't you understand you're hurting him? You're giving him mental breakdowns.”

“So what?” Percy frowned. “I'm schizophrenic. Not stupid. Nor blind.”

A heavy hush fell in the room. Piper had sat up on the mattress to look at them, a straight face pointed at Nico, who didn't know what to say. The boy took a deep breath, trying to recollect a couple of words to put in a sentence. “If... if you're not a horrible person, why don't you care about the fact that you make Leo crying?” Nico gave a quick gaze at his roommate, who was wiping some tears from his cheek. “Look at him. Do you think this is funny?”

Percy didn't look at Leo as he was asked. “I have ears. I don't need to look at him. And to answer your question... no. I don't think it is funny. I think it is _something_.” Before Nico could have responded to those words, Percy began talking again. “Do you think I do what I do to have fun? There's a reason I shout at my roommate,” he casually waved his hand at Will Solace sitting against the door, where he had been for the whole time, “there's a reason I provoke Leo all the time. I know he's afraid of me because I set fire to my neighbour's house. I don't do any of these things for fun. Like I'm not having fun telling _you_ to wake the fuck up because the world is a mess and it always has been. You can't collapse and kill yourself because you think no one cares about you. You have to save yourself. You can't count on anybody but yourself, Nico.”

Nico didn't even realise he had his mouth slightly widened. He didn't know how to react. Where did those words come from? How was it that Percy hadn't ever showed anybody that side of his personality? Or maybe he had. Maybe his therapists knew. Maybe there _was_ a reason everybody felt a sort of weird attraction for him. Percy attracted everyone despite their feelings of fear towards him. He was like a magnet. There was something about his eyes, the way he moved, the way he talked... one couldn't simply look away. One had to _listen_ to him. “Why... why did you set your neighbour's house on fire, then?”

With a questioning look, Percy cautiously smirked at him. He was ready to answer, but surprisingly enough, Leo interrupted him. “He thought his neighbour was plotting against the White House. He actually wasn't, but the police found out he was hiding a shit ton of weapons in his basement – and that's why it basically exploded. He wanted to join a terroristic organisation abroad.”

Nico turned towards Leo and winded his eyes in shock. As soon as Leo nodded to confirm his words, Nico looked at Percy again. “How the _hell_ did you know that?! Why are you here if you were right?!”

“Let's just say that the government doesn't like it very much when you burn someone's house. Not if you tell them that a god gave you an advice on which propellant to use.” Percy chuckled, soon followed by Piper, who was still looking at Nico.

“A... a _god_?” Nico frowned in confusion.

Percy chuckled again and grabbed an empty ice cream box from the carpet. “Remember? Schizophrenic.” He pointed at his head. “I'm going to bed. Will, stand up or I'll kick your ass until you'll shout in pain. And you know I can do that.” Will Solace rolled his eyes and stood up, opening the door and disappearing down the corridor. “Good night, kids.” He winked one last time before leaving the room.

Nico was shocked. He didn't even notice that Piper and Rachel had left the room as well, followed by Frank. No one had said a thing after their conversation. Nico sat on his bed and glanced at Leo, who was under his sheets again. “What the _actual_ fuck has just happened?”

Leo petted his stuffed dragon before laying down completely. “Not all dragons breathe fire, anyway. Tell Percy, tomorrow.”

Nico's eyes widened even more. Had Leo just said the word _fire_ without passing out on the floor?

Plus... That Percy guy surely was interesting.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update in two days :) on Tuesday evening (CEST).  
> Hope you liked this one!


	4. Chapter 4

Nico was colouring his drawing with concentration when Annabeth had suddenly asked him a thing she wasn't supposed to know about.

“What do you think about what happened a few nights ago, when Percy and Piper brought ice cream to your room?”

The lady he had just drew was looking at him severely from the sheet of paper, making Nico feeling guilty. “How... how do you know about that?”

Annabeth crossed her legs on the chair, playing with her pen and looking at Nico on the couch. She was smiling knowingly. “I just know.”

“Leo told you. I'm 99% sure about it.” Nico let the crayon he was holding falling on the couch and stood up, grabbing the chair in front of Annabeth's desk and sitting down. “Damn it.”

The woman chuckled briefly. “What makes you think that?”

“He's been weird ever since. He looks like he's hiding something.” Staring outside the window, Nico noticed that it was a sunny and beautiful day. God knew how much he wanted to lay down on the grass, letting the sun warming his body and drinking an iced tea. Summer was behind the corner, changing the patients' mood. Everyone felt excited about anything.

“I think you're aware of the fact that I really can't tell you who told me, right?” Annabeth raised an eyebrow at Nico with amusement, cracking a smile which made the boy rolling his eyes. “So. What do you feel about that night? I was waiting for you to tell me, but you didn't.” Dr. Chase didn't want to put pressure on Nico's shoulders, but she felt like that event had been important for all the patients who had been involved. She wanted to work with that information.

Nico snorted loudly, grabbing a toy rainbow spring from the basket next to him and playing with it seconds later. “I feel... I don't _understand_ why Percy Jackson acts the way he does. He really seems to care about his... I don't know, his _friends_? Can I really go that far? Hell, I dunno. Then he does something extremely stupid like refusing to take his meds or kicking a guard in the crotch and I hate him again.” The spring in his hands was breaking. “Damn it! If he could simply follow the rules, do how he is told! I think he could be out of here earlier than everyone! It makes me _so fucking mad_.” Nico immediately gasped. “I mean. It makes me mad.”

Annabeth's eyes sparkled. She wasn't absolutely expecting such a reaction from the boy in front of him. Her chair creaked when she leaned closer, crossing her hands over the table to give Nico all the attention she was capable of. “Percy is a paranoid schizophrenic, Nico. He experiences unjustified anger attacks if he doesn't take his medications regularly. And he perfectly knows it. So, why do you think he refuses them? I'd like to know your suggestion.”

“I can't say that it's because he's stupid, right?” Nico rolled his eyes with exasperation. Annabeth limited herself to shake her head, her eyes still locked with Nico's. “Well. I think he does that because they make him feeling dizzy or weak or something. But I just keep not understanding. Even I feel like that when I take my antidepressants. They made me feel better in the long run, though. It took me a while, but they really started to work in the end.”

Dr. Chase sniffed distractedly. “He knows that, too. So? Go deeper. Try to understand how Percy's thoughts work.”

“Excuse me, Annabeth, but how is this gonna help me? I don't care about Jackson. He's unpredictable and loud. He's the opposite of me,” Nico leaned closer and began playing with the spring over the table surface. Usually, Annabeth and he used to get along well. They were on the same page. But now, the boy couldn't tell why she was so interested in that conversation.

“Exactly, Nico. You have no idea of how many things you could learn from each other. You just said it... you two are the opposite. So, _why_ he refuses to take his pills? I'm sure you know.” Annabeth had no intention of tearing his eyes off the boy's. There was something big going on in that precise moment.

Nico's mind was a mess. Why should he care? Why was she asking him so many weird questions about another patient? He was getting pissed. “Because if he takes his meds, he is not allowed to do anything stupid anymore?! Because he is a manipulator piece of shit who just doesn't care about the rules and that would set someone's house on _fire_ just because he thinks said someone is up to something?! Because he can't _reason_?!” Nico took a brief pause to breathe. He was slightly panting. “You see? We came to the conclusion we were avoiding. Because he's _stupid_.”

Annabeth crossed her arms on her chest with a severe look in her eyes. “Percy is _not_ stupid, but you kinda got the point with the rest. If he takes his meds, he's convinced he's gonna lose his instincts. His intuitions about things. Percy, among everyone, is probably the person who's the most scared about this institution than everyone else.”

“What has all this to do with _me_?” Nico was about to cry for the frustration. He just couldn't _get_ it.

“Don't you realise how important it was the conversation you two had that night? Maybe it wasn't the longest or the deepest, but he told you things he never told _me_. Nico, Percy _trusts_ you. And I really can understand why.” Annabeth stared at him for a long time, but Nico didn't say a thing. “What he sees in you is someone he'd like to be. Charismatic, but steady. Someone who has not lost his instincts, but who is taken seriously by everyone. He needs to put on a show to be taken seriously, Nico.”

“But this is _not_ true. He doesn't-”

“Are you sure? He decided to drug a nurse and steal ice cream to have an excuse to talk to you. Have you ever thought about why, among everyone, he chose you to wake up that night? Percy is plenty of friends here,” Dr. Chase laid against her backrest calmly, waiting for Nico to re-work her words in his brain. “Have you ever thought about having a chat with him at lunch or during some recreational activity?”

Nico was frowning in great, deep confusion. The rainbow spring was laying on the floor, completely forgotten. “No. I've never wanted to talk to him,” he shook his head while he talked.

“Exactly.” Annabeth sighed. They were almost _there_. “He's been listening to you during group therapy. He's been looking at you when you talk with your new friends, Reyna and Leo. He's been studying all your moves with the hope you were going to talk to him. When he noticed you weren't, he took the situation in hand.”

“This makes no sense. I've been here for just a month... He can't be so obsessed with me,” Nico raised his worried gaze at his psychiatrist. “Can't he?”

Dr. Chase frowned. “Who said he's obsessed? Obsession is a completely different thing. Percy is not obsessed with you. He _admires_ you. He's craving to be your friend. Very simply.” She drew an imaginary line with her fingers. “It is _this_ easy, Nico.”

Nico huffed a disconcerted laugh. “ _What_?! Who the hell in their right mind would do such a thing? Why didn't he just... talk to me?”

Annabeth crossed her arms on her chest, biting her lower lip to hold a smile. “In their right mind, Nico?”

The boy blushed furiously at the realisation of what he had just said. “Oh my God,” he covered his mouth with a hand in shame, “I didn't mean it as a joke. I'm so sorry.”

“Don't worry, Nico. It's just a saying. I know you didn't want to offend anyone.” Annabeth grabbed her pen and began writing down a few things, talking to Nico at the same time. “Why are you so surprised that, among everyone, he wants to be _your_ friend?”

Nico shrugged. “I'm the new kid. He's a leader. Why should he care about me? Just because I'm charismatic? Fact that, in brackets, I don't believe being true.”

Annabeth chuckled, raising her gaze at him with amusement. “Nico, are you serious? One cannot control who he likes or not.”

“... Likes?” Nico blushed.

“Well, of course. He's somehow interested in you. And... we're late.” The woman took a look at her watch. “You have your socially useful hour in ten minutes and I have another patient.” Annabeth smiled affectionately as she saw Nico standing up with a cute confused expression printed on his face. She escorted him to the door, a hand on his shoulder. “We'll continue this conversation on Monday. Would you please think about this session? I think it was fruitful.”

Nico nodded, taking a deep breath. “Sure.”

“Are you happy to be finally able to see your parents tomorrow?” She smiled encouragingly.

“Yeah... I haven't seen them in a month. Can't wait.”

“Good... have a good day, Nico. And a good Sunday.” Annabeth made sign to a nurse to approach them. “By the way. You'll notice I exonerated you from sleeping pills. I think it's about time for you to sleep without.”

Nico smiled thankfully. His sleeping pills used to make him feeling sick at times. “Okay. Have a nice day.” The woman closed the door and Nico followed the nurse towards his department lobby.

** **

As soon as Nico stepped inside the recreational area after group therapy that afternoon, he noticed that something was going insanely bad. Someone was shouting – a boy – as loud as he could, kicking and struggling to free himself from the guards' grip. Hazel, the Department Head, was trying her best to sedate the boy without hurting him.

Nico's heart sank immediately. It was Percy.

“Percy, it's all right! Calm down!” Hazel kept repeating, earning a few more kicks from the boy. Percy was crying so much that his face was bright red, his cheeks completely wet and his beautiful sea-green eyes full of desperation.

Nico felt his heart beating faster and someone grabbed his arm. Leo was gripping it so hard that Nico felt pain. “Leo, you're hurting me.”

Leo gasped in worry and loosened his grip. “Sorry. It's just... I'm so sorry. You didn't see what happened.”

Nico honestly wanted to know what had happened, but the scene in front of his eyes was horrible enough to make him momentarily forgetting about it. He had never seen Percy so desperate. It was a matter of seconds before another guard was going to intervene, so that Hazel could have sedated him. Without even thinking, Nico freed his arm from Leo's grip and walked towards the nurse.

A guard instantly put a hand on his shoulder. “Step back, boy. C'mon.”

Nico's mouth was hanging open, his lower lip trembling for the anger and the incredulity. “Percy!” He shouted. “Percy, calm down! Miss Levesque won't sedate you if you calm down, isn't it?!”

The woman turned her head towards him to give him a disconcerted look. “Nico, _step back_. Stay out of this. I don't want to sedate _you_.”

“He will calm down!” A tear crossed Nico's cheek without his permission. “He will! Right? Percy. Calm _down_.”

Percy, who was still kicking in the air in order to free himself from the guard who was gripping his right arm, raised his red and swollen eyes at the boy. Nico nodded in his direction, wiping a tear from his cheek. The kicks suddenly stopped, and the beautiful boy surrendered in the guards' arms. Hazel immediately grabbed his wrist, and Nico had to take his eyes off not to watch as she sedated the boy. Percy almost immediately lost his consciousness and the guards picked him up to take him to his room.

The nurse quickly smiled at Nico. “You've been really good. But don't do this ever again, Nico.”

Nico was silently crying. “I'm absolutely not proud of what I just did.”

The nurse stroked his shoulder reassuringly, leaving the room and running back the guards who were taking Percy away. Nico dropped on the floor, trying to set his breathing at a regular speed. Dr. Grace approached him, offering him his hand to stand up. “C'mon, Nico. You can visit him later. Is this all right?”

Nico looked up at him. The doctor was smiling to encourage him. As he grabbed his hand to stand up, Nico knew that _wasn't_ all right at all.

** **

The common room was strangely silent that evening. No one was enthusiastic enough to play with cards or go to the recreational area to play ping pong. A lot of patients were in their rooms, others were absently watching TV sprawled on the couches.

Nico was almost falling asleep when Hazel entered the room and clapped her hands twice. “Guys! It's curfew. Go to your rooms, please. We have to turn the TV off.”

Everyone began standing up; the girls heading to the left, the boys to the right. As soon as Nico had grabbed his sketching book from the couch, someone kindly patted on his shoulder. When he turned around, a mop of blond hair hit his eyes. Nico smiled with surprise. “Will. Hi. Do you need me?”

Will Solace nodded frantically and grabbed his arm, dragging him towards his room.

“Okay, then.” Nico was now used to the fact that the blond boy didn't talk. He didn't even find it weird anymore. That was just who Will Solace was and he had accepted it. They walked down the corridor until they reached Will and Percy's room. Will made him sign to go in. “Aren't you coming?” The blond boy smiled and shook his head, entering in the common bathroom instead. Nico took a deep breath and opened the door.

Percy and Will's room looked like the Yin and Yang symbol. Will's side – the left side of the room - was organised and clean, all his clothes folded perfectly in the closet and a bare night-stand next to his bed – which, nonetheless, had been made in the morning with highly precision. There was just a book on the pillow. Percy's side, instead, was a complete mess. Some posters from different movies were hanging from the wall – some were about to fall at any moment, others were attached with coloured adhesive tape. On his night-stand towered a great amount of useless things such as candy wrappers and empty plastic glasses. Some of Percy's clothes laid sadly on a chair, probably there since World War II had started. Nico wondered why the nurses didn't oblige him to clean that mess. It was simply ridiculous.

Then his thoughts went immediately forgotten as he noticed that Percy was laying under the sheets and had just moved to turn around. He opened an eye, smiling teasingly seconds later at Nico. There was something which wasn't working, though. Percy's eyes were empty. He didn't seem to have any intention to sit up or do anything else. The boy just kept laying where he was, like he was about to fall asleep at any moment. So, when he spoke, Nico was surprised to actually hear his voice. “Come here, New Kid.”

Nico sighed thoroughly. “I've been here for a month now. I think I'm not the new kid anymore.”

Percy huffed a brief chuckle. He kept blinking so slowly that Nico wondered how he still was awake. “As far as there won't be new patients, you are the New Kid.”

“What will you do when a new patient will arrive?” Nico crossed his arms on his chest and sat on a chair in front of him. He didn't linger too much on the fact that he didn't know why there was a fucking chair in the middle of the room, between the two beds.

“I'll call you...” Percy sighed - not with slight difficulty. “I'll call you Nosey Parker.”

“Nah. It doesn't fit well.” Nico chuckled. “You can do better.”

The sea-green eyed boy grabbed his pillow tighter, smiling towards Nico. “I'm drugged right now. I'm not able to express myself properly.”

Nico didn't know how it felt to be sedated. It had never been necessary for him. “Are you all right?”

Percy nodded. “Daily routine. I'm so pissed that Hot Stuff has already been picked. Damn it...” He sighed shakily. “Don't you think?”

“Hot Stuff?” Nico frowned. “As evil as it can be as a nickname, my back story has nothing to do with fire.”

Percy smirked mischievously, chuckling instants later as if he was feeling tipsy. “Yeah. _Exactly_.”

Nico bit his lower lip, trying not to laugh. Of course Percy Jackson could still be all flirty and annoying even if he had been sedated just a few hours earlier. And at those thoughts, Nico suddenly remembered his therapy session with Annabeth that morning. “You know, Percy... you could actually have a chance with me if you'd follow the rules.”

“Who said I want a chance with you?” Percy chuckled, scratching his cheek distractedly. He was extremely cute buried in all those sheets and blankets.

“Oh. Okay. I thought you wanted to be my friend. Was I wrong?”

Percy shrugged. “Maybe not. But following the rules? Nah. I'll leave that to you.”

Nico shook his head in amusement, standing up from the chair and glancing at the clock on the wall. “It's late. See you at breakfast, Psycho.”

Percy freed one arm from under the sheets and point his index finger at him. “You _little shit_. I'm the only one allowed to create nicknames here.”

Nico chuckled and waved his hands at him distractedly. “Whatever, Crazy Pants.”

Percy began giggling uncontrollably. “You'll pay for this.”

“Good night, Basket Case.”

“Stooop it!” Percy was laughing so hard that Nico wondered if he needed water. “You'll pay the _highest prize_ for this.”

Nico shrugged, directing himself towards the door. As soon as he turned around to add something, Percy had closed his eyes with a faint smile printed on his face. Nico didn't want to disturb. He left the room, heading to the bathroom.

Unexpectedly, he couldn't stop smiling.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next updateeeeeeeee (?) on Thursday evening! CEST.  
> So... mmh. Nico Nico Nico, what are you up to? Who knows (well, I do know OPSSS).


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I am so happy for the comments I got so far. Like... seriously happy. 
> 
> This fic means _the world_ to me, because fighting the stigma and the prejudices people have towards mental illnesses is one of the things I mostly care about. 
> 
> I hope you're gonna enjoy the next chapter! Thank you for reading this. Thank you a lot.

As Reyna put her sugary flower on her cake, Nico sighed shakily. He was feeling anxious about the idea of meeting his parents in the afternoon. Apparently, the girl seemed to have noticed because she handed him a piece of chocolate accompanied by a wide smile.

“C'mon. The first Visits Day is always the hardest. You've been confined to our department for thirty days and you've been confirmed a +1 in a really short time. You should be happy about it!” Reyna smiled wider, waving the piece of chocolate in front of Nico's face.

Nico took it, biting it angrily seconds later with a frowned expression. “You think so? Because I keep thinking about the fact that I have no idea what to tell my parents.”

Reyna chuckled as if she perfectly knew what Nico meant. Fact which, with all the probabilities, was true. “You'll be assaulted by a word vomit. Trust me. The uneasiness disappears in a matter of a few minutes.” The girl clapped her hands happily at the sight of her cake perfectly decorated. “That's the most beautiful cake I've ever done.”

“Why are you putting so much effort in a cake, if your parents aren't going to come?” Nico hadn't wanted to sound rude, but Reyna's eyes darkened anyway. “Hey. Shit, I am sorry.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Slap me, please.”

The girl rolled her eyes with fond exasperation, but did how she was told anyway. She teasingly slapped Nico's hand away from her shoulder. “Shut up. It's fine. You're nervous. Anyway... Blank Hill is too far away from where we live. They cannot afford to come here every two weeks.” She shrugged. “I perfectly know it.”

Nico was about to suggest that he could have paid for their trip, but Leo approached them in the canteen with a giant smile. “Guys! Rumour has it Reyna is bak- _you are baking_ , yes! Thank God!” One of the nurses who were keeping an eye on them chuckled and kept reading her book. “Chocolate?”

Reyna nodded with great satisfaction. “Of course. I'll bring this out this afternoon during Visits Day. Is your aunt coming?”

Leo sank his index finger in a bowl of left-over chocolate frosting, ignoring Reyna's question. As he sucked his finger moaning shamelessly, Nico cleared his throat amusedly. “Is this a porn movie?” The boy suddenly stopped licking his finger, blushing so heavily that Nico couldn't help but bursting out laughing. “Oh man, you seriously are _Hot_ Stuff.” He kept chuckling, not aware of the curious looks his friends were giving him.

“Did you just call Leo... Hot Stuff?” Reyna asked, crossing her arms on her chest with a teasing smile. “Isn't that a thing only Percy Jackson can do?”

Nico blushed hearing that name. He hadn't told his friends about his conversation with Percy the night before, and he also didn't know _why_ he had to blush because of it. “Uhm. Yes. I just thought that it fitted the situation.”

Reyna and Leo glanced at each other, both raising their eyebrows and smirking. “Whatever,” the girl said, recollecting her stuff from the table and putting them tidily in a corner of it. “Claire? I need to put this cake in the fridge.”

The nurse put her book away. Smiling affectionately, she approached them and took a look at the cake. She couldn't avoid whistling seconds later in appreciation. “A piece of art, Reyna. My compliments.” Reyna blushed as Claire grabbed the baking pan, heading towards the refrigerating room of the canteen.

“Let's just hope it tastes good...”, the girl whispered with a worried expression. “I put salt in it once. Instead of sugar.” She began organising the dirty baking utensils on the table again, switching them of position and putting them in order of size.

Nico had to grab her arm to make her stop. “Reyna. Deep breath. It's all right. You didn't put salt. I saw it.”

Reyna had to swallow seriously hard to keep herself from touching the utensils again, but she managed to avoid doing it eventually. With a deep breath, she turned towards Nico and smiled sheepishly. “Thanks.”

Nico winked at her, holding her hand in his. “No. Thank _you_. You made us a cake.”

“An excellent cake, judging from the frosting. Damn it,” Leo sucked his finger for the millionth time in just two minutes, moaning instants later again.

The three friends began chuckling and Leo finally grabbed a spoon.

** **

Visits Day took place in the same room of group therapy. It was the only room big enough to contain all those people. Nico glanced around him, trying not to think about where his parents could have been. It seemed like everyone had arrived already. People were hugging, kissing, chatting and laughing. Reyna and Leo were talking animatedly to Leo's aunt.

Just as Nico was convinced that his mom and dad weren't going to come, thinking that maybe he could have joined the conversation with Leo's aunt, Hades di Angelo appeared in the room with a sheepish smile, obviously followed by his mom. Maria was holding her elegant hat in a hand and a little paper bag in the other. As soon as she saw him, her smile widened so much that Nico completely forgot about his tension.

The two basically run towards each other, hugging so tight that Nico genuinely began worrying about the fact that his mom wanted to choke him. When they separated, the woman had tears in her eyes. “Amore mio! I missed you _so much_ , Nico. You have no idea.” Maria wiped a tear from her son's cheek with affection. “You just don't.”

Nico smiled, though he couldn't see properly his mother's face. His eyes were filled with tears. “I think I do.”

“Nico.” A severe voice reached Nico's ears, making him turning around and looking at his father. The man put a hand on his shoulder, smiling kindly. “Did you only miss your mother?”

The boy smirked with happinesses and hugged his dad. “No, papà. I missed both of you _a lot_.” Hades hold him tight, and Nico felt home again. When they broke the hug, Nico had to look for a napkin. “Jeez. I didn't know I was so emotional.”

Maria chuckled, stroking her hand in Nico's hair. “Let's sit down. I have a present for you. The... the weird guard outside opened it, I'm sorry. I tried to protest, but he said he had to check.” As the three sat down around a tiny coffee table, she handed Nico the paper bag. “I hope you like it.”

Nico smiled widely and opened the bag, pulling out a really nice frame with a photo of their family. It was an old photo, because Bianca was in it. Nico's eyes filled with tears instantly, but those weren't tears of pain. Those were tears of joy. The absence of his sister was still obviously making Nico's heart aching, but in Blank Hill he was learning how to handle it. “This is... beautiful. Thank you, mom. Thanks, dad.” He kissed them both on a cheek. “I'm putting this on my night-stand.”

“Are you? Can we see your room? I thought that maybe I could have bought you new sheets or towels and-”

“Mom! No,” Nico chuckled, putting the paper bag on the floor at his feet. “You can't come to the lobby or see our rooms. Plus... there's no need to buy me anything. They're treating me well.”

Maria wasn't completely convinced about it – being a mother (an _Italian_ one, furthermore) surely was hard -, but she dropped the subject anyway. She casually glanced at the other people sitting around the coffee tables in the room, frowning with concern. “Why do they have cake and we don't? Oh my God,” all of a sudden, the woman covered her mouth with a hand, looking at Nico as if she had seen a ghost. “I didn't think about baking you anything. I'm so sorry, amore mio. I wanted to, but then-”

“But then I told her she wasn't allowed to bring food inside,” Hades interrupted her, stroking one of her thighs fondly. “Maria. Everything's fine. You're even more anxious than Nico is.”

Nico laughed in genuine amusement. He had forgotten how much he actually missed his parents. “Well... she actually could. But it's all right. A friend of mine baked that one. Do you want a slice?”

“Willingly, yes.” Hades' eyes sparkled as he said those two simple words.

Nico nodded and instantly stood up, reaching the table on which the rest of the cake was and cutting three slices of it under the nurses' closer gazes. Sharp objects were not friends in Blank Hill. Giggling uncontrollably, Reyna walked on tiptoes towards him, not aware of the fact that Nico could see her anyway. “I see you, Rey.”

The girl sighed in defeat and helped him to put the slices of cake in the dishes. “Damn it. How is it going, then? You need help? I'm bored. Leo's aunt has been talking about crochet since forever.”

“No, thank you. I think... I think we seriously need to talk. You were right, by the way. I feel like I have a shit ton of stuff to tell them,” Nico reassured her with a smile. “We'll be fine.”

Reyna shrugged briefly. “All right, then. I'm happy for you. Have a good time!” She waved a hand at him as Nico winked at her and approached his table again, putting the dishes in front of his parents.

The three began tasting their cake as Maria rattled off a series of great compliments. “It tastes so good! That girl looked really nice, Nico. Did she bake this?”

Nico nodded, smiling with pride. He was feeling _proud_ of his friend. “She did. Her name is Reyna.” Maria hummed in appreciation for no apparent reason.

“How are you feeling, Nico?” Hades di Angelo wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin. “They send me weekly reports saying that you're doing fine. There's also a list of your medications. How do they make you feel? Do I have to talk to your psychiatrist?”

The boy scratched his forehead distractedly, trying to push the embarrassment away. There was no need to feel ashamed of anything in Blank Hill. “They're fine. My doctor just exonerated me from sleeping pills. That means I'm getting better, I suppose.” He smiled to his dad, wanting to reassure him about the fact that _no, he hadn't screwed everything up by sending his son in that place._

The relief was easily readable in Hades' eyes. The tension between the two of them was easing. “It's good to hear it. So... tell me about this place. What do you do every day?”

They began talking and chatting about this and that, sometimes laughing and having a good time in general. Nico told his parents about his schedule, the socially useful hour, the fresh air hour, the group therapy and the recreational activities. He tried not to mention that, from time to time, someone needed to be sedated. He didn't bring out the fact that he could hear people crying during the night. Those were aspects of the life in Blank Hill that Nico didn't want to share. It had nothing to do with shame, though. Nico just thought that he wanted to maintain intact his new friends' dignity. Hades and Maria, after all, weren't going to feel better if Nico had told them. And Nico wanted to make them feel better. Because _he_ felt better; his first desire being transmitting his sensation to them.

So, when someone burst into tears in the opposite side of the room, Nico's heart began beating fast. He recognised that voice. The three suddenly turned around – and so did the rest of the people in the room – to catch a glimpse of what was going on.

Nico's lips began curving in a wide smile.

Percy Jackson was hugging his mother, crying so loud that everyone could hear him, and shamelessly laughing at the same time. On the table in front of him towered a pile of blue waffles.

** **

Half an hour later, Nico had introduced his parents to Leo and Reyna. They had had a chat together, made fun of Nico from time to time – because why not – and then Visits Day had been over. It had been extremely sad to wave his mom and dad goodbye, but Nico knew he was going to see them again in two weeks. The fact had helped him to feel better at the idea of separating from them.

As the patients cleaned the tables and the floor, telling each other about the news from their families and other stuff, Leo approached Nico with a big black garbage bag. “Dirty napkins and dishes service at your disposition.” He opened the bag towards Nico, who chuckled and threw the dishes he had recollected from a few tables.

“Thanks, Leo.” Nico kept wiping a table with a wet rag. He then frowned, suddenly stopping doing the cleaning and raising his gaze at the boy. “You know what? You never told me why Percy needed to be sedated yesterday. I forgot to ask you when you came to bed.”

Leo, who was making a big knot to close the garbage bag, raised an eyebrow at him and let go of the bag. Putting a hand on his hip, he shrugged. “He had begun bickering with a guard. You know how he is... he loves to get on their nerves. So the guard got mad and scolded him.”

“Don't tell me,” Nico rubbed his eyes tiredly, “Percy kicked him or something.”

“Punched him in the face.” Leo imitated the gesture, closing his hand in a fist and pretending to punch himself on the nose. “Like this. For a moment, I thought to be watching TV.”

Nico sighed thoroughly in resignation. “Damn it.”

“You know what? He didn't put on a show this morning, when he had to take his morning pills. You know he's one of the few to have morning pills, right?” Leo asked him in doubt.

“Yeah, obviously,” Nico rolled his eyes.

“Right. So... he just took them. And that's it.” The boy shrugged, picking the garbage bag from the floor. “Pretty impressive.”

Nico studied Leo's eyes with curiosity. It had been a few days now since Leo had started acting differently. His behaviour had changed significantly in the blink of an eye. And Nico was dying to know how that was possible. “Leo... can I ask you something?”

“Is this going to be long? Because there are chairs here.” Leo chuckled, letting go of the garbage bag again and grabbing a chair to sit down. “Okay. I'm ready.”

Nico rolled his eyes at his friend's joke, but sat in front of him anyway. A nurse was raising an eyebrow at them, probably wondering whether she had to approach them or not. Probably not, since she stayed where she was. “What's up with you? Since that night with the ice cream... you're different.”

Leo slightly blushed, trying to hide it by scratching his cheek purposely. “I talked to Miss Chase about it the day after. I don't know... I felt so upset about it. Breaking the rules. Staying up in the middle of the night. Looking at Percy and you having an- an _adult_ conversation. I never did such a thing in my life. It felt... freeing.”

“Freeing?” Nico frowned, but couldn't hold a smile. “What do you mean?”

“I'm basically a child, Nico. I _feel_ like a child. Well, I used to feel like a child. All of a sudden... I just stopped feeling like that. I have absolutely no idea of what triggered the mechanism in my brain.” Leo widened his eyes as if he was noticing it for the first time – fact which probably was true. “I don't know what exactly, but _something_ happened that night.”

Nico stared at Leo directly in the eyes for a while before talking. His thoughts immediately wandered towards Percy and his words. The way which he had talked to Nico, completely honest and finally sincere. The two friends looked at each other with seriousness. “I think you're right.”

“Have you seen the way Percy burst into tears just an hour ago? Those things don't happen very often coming from him. And I've known Percy for a while now. Nico... I think this is about you.” Leo sighed to take a brief pause. “Percy seriously likes you.”

“Jeez,” Nico rolled his eyes. “That's what Annabeth said. But how can the fact that he _likes_ me having such an impact on him? It makes no sense.”

Leo chuckled. “Really? You don't know? You've got a good aura around you. People feel like doing good things when you're around.”

“Leo,” Nico put his hands on Leo's knees, looking at him with scepticism. “I'm not a magician. I did nothing. I can't control people's minds.”

A couple of patients walked past them chuckling, with a mop and a bucket full of water and detergent. Leo didn't stop looking at Nico with seriousness, anyway. “I know you can't. But trust me. Percy likes you.” The boy grinned. “And I'm not exactly sure he likes you simply as a friend. Exactly as _I_ don't like Reyna simply as a friend.”

“... _What_?!” Nico chuckled, looking at Leo with great surprise.

“Yeah. Well,” Leo blushed. “That was my secret. By the way... No diversions, Nico. We were talking about Jackson.”

It was Nico's turn to blush. He stood up, grabbing the wet rag from the table and taking a deep breath. “Whatever, Hot Stuff. I dunno and I don't care. And I surely don't believe to have this... _magical_ aura you're talking about.”

Leo copied his friend's gesture and stood up seconds later. “If you say so... but still. You noticed there was something weird about me. And I've been here for seven years, Nico. _Seven_. With very little improvements. I dunno, but this probably has something to do with you.” Leo patted him on a shoulder. “Now I have to go. I have a fresh air hour today. See you later.”

Nico nodded, though his eyes were wandering in a sea of confusion and messy thoughts. “See you later,” he whispered, as Leo handed the garbage bag to a nurse and was escorted outside by another.

As he raised his gaze from the floor – he hadn't noticed he had been staring at it for the past three minutes - , Nico felt his neck itching. It wasn't a feeling of pain. It was more like he felt someone was staring at him. He frowned, suddenly turning around towards a window which overlooked one of the gardens.

Percy was smirking at him from the outside, smoking a cigarette and waving a hand at him.

Nico hoped that his cheeks hadn't turned too red.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that's it. We have Nico's parents. Next update on Saturday evening/afternoon (I dunno), CEST (as always). Stay tuned *eheheh*
> 
> Also: did I just ship Leo and Reyna? YOU CAN BET ON YOUR ASS I DID. I genuinely thought that Riordan was making them a couple while reading HoO. I'm serious. Then it didn't happen... but that's why we have fanfics.
> 
> Thanks for reading <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I am so tired today that I was going to copy-paste chapter 10 instead of chapter 6. Not one word.
> 
> Enjoy!

Since the day in which July had finally arrived, a general euphoria was wandering around the whole East Wing. Patients took their meds more willingly, Percy hadn't fought with a guard in _four_ days – and that surely was an event -, and Leo Valdez was trying his best to flirt with Reyna.

Nico looked at his reflection in the mirror that morning, trying to figure out how the hell those things were happening so out of the blue. Leo flirting? _Man_. Happy patients? _Jeez_. Percy _behaving_?! Nico was about to pass out. Well, maybe he had some clues about the reason why all that was happening. Nurses and patients were organising a small party to celebrate July 4 th. They were going to drink cherry punch, eating pizza all together and watching the fireworks. And all those things were going to take place outside, in the gardens – under the guards and the nurses' supervision, obviously enough. Re-thinking about it... Nico _was_ happy, too. He couldn't wait. In just one day, the East Wing was finally going to have something different to do. Curfew had even been postponed at 11.45 pm. _Insane_.

As soon as he had finished brushing his teeth, Nico wiped his mouth with a towel. He almost had a heart attack when he noticed that Percy was staring at him from behind his back, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed on his chest. “Damn it, _Percy_!” The boy turned around with a hand on his heart. “You scared the shit out of me!”

Percy was grinning mischievously – and Nico wasn't absolutely surprised about that -, holding the plaid shirt he usually wore over his t-shirt in a hand. “Are you coming to the party tomorrow?”

“... Of course? Everyone is coming.” Nico sniffed distractedly. “Why are you asking? You need a permit signed by Dr. Chase not to come.”

“How did I know you hadn't one? Just making sure.” Percy shrugged, leaving his position against the wall and wearing his plaid shirt with a teasing smirk.

Nico blushed and pretended to be checking his bag to make sure he had recollected all his belongings from the bathroom. Since their conversation had happened a few weeks earlier, Percy had begun being shamelessly flirty with him. And Nico just couldn't handle it. “Whatever. Yes, I'm coming. How is Piper, by the way? I heard she wasn't feeling well.”

“She's fine. Hazel caught her stealing things from the canteen. _Again_. I think she's gonna have serious troubles because of that.” Percy huffed a brief laugh. “Anyway... wear your _Ramones_ t-shirt tomorrow night. You look incredibly hot in that.” The sea-green eyed boy winked mischievously after saying those words, and Nico couldn't help but blushing furiously.

“Percy... leave me alone, please.” Nico began directing himself towards his room and the other boy obviously followed him.

“Why?” Percy was basically running after Nico, who was trying his best to get rid of him. “Don't you like it when I talk to you? Oh, hi Dumby.” He casually waved his hand at his roommate when they walked past Percy's room.

Nico sighed angrily from exasperation and turned around, making Percy bumping against his chest for the surprise. “Would you please stop making fun of Will?! You made him cry just yesterday at dinner.”

“Hey! Who is the one who started calling Leo _Hot Stuff_?” Percy put both his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow at Nico knowingly. “You're the pot calling the kettle black.”

Nico blushed. He had forgotten about it. It came so natural to use that nickname to him by now, that even Leo wasn't giving a shit about it anymore. “W-well,” he muttered, “he's fine with that. Will Solace obviously isn't.” Nico resumed his mad rush towards his room, Percy in tow. “ _Dumby_ is incredibly cruel.”

“Why? Because you can't tell if I'm referring to the fact that he doesn't want to talk or to the fact that he's stupid?” Percy chuckled as Nico slammed the door of his room open, making Leo – who was reading a book in peace – startling and standing up from his bed.

“ _No_ ,” Nico turned around, pointing his index finger against Percy's chest and hissing with anger directly on his face. “It is cruel because you're better than this. And you're hiding it. If you want to live making everyone believing that you're an asshole, a piece of shit, a heartless imbecile... it's fine. As long as you leave me _the fuck_ alone. I want nothing to do with such a person.”

Percy didn't say a thing for some instants. Nico had managed to render him speechless. As he took a deep breath, Leo approached them and put a hand on his hip, waiting for Percy's clever comeback.

“Okay.”

Nico and Leo both raised an eyebrow. _Okay_?

“What... what do you mean, _okay_?” Nico asked cautiously. When there was Percy involved, one could never tell what was going to happen. “You'll leave me alone?”

Percy winked with an unreadable expression and disappeared from the room, directing himself to the canteen to have breakfast.

Nico turned around to look at Leo with deep disconcert. “Do I have to worry?”

Leo didn't answer. He just limited himself to nod, staring at the door from which Percy had just disappeared.

** **

The following day the atmosphere was even more exciting in the corridors. Girls were running from a room to another, asking for outfit advices and how to match their shoes with the dresses. The boys were chatting, telling who they had asked out for the evening or simply talking about fireworks and other useless stuff. Leo had been rattling off about Reyna for the whole afternoon.

Nico wasn't annoyed about it. It was pretty unusual to see Leo so happy about something. It was even more unusual to see him talking about _teenage_ stuff. Just a week earlier, Nico hadn't mentioned the fact that Leo had closed his stuffed animals in a box. In the past weeks, he had become a totally different person. So, while the two friends were getting ready for the party, Nico's jaw had almost dropped to the floor when Leo had told him he wanted to kiss Reyna.

“ _Excuse me_?!” Nico had chuckled, turning around him and closing his belt distractedly. “You can't drop such a bomb when I'm not ready to hear it.”

Leo shrugged, blushing furiously and adjusting his hair for the millionth time. “I feel anxious as hell because... well, I've never kissed anyone. And she's older than me. But I don't care. I think she likes me.”

“I think that, too.” Nico sat on his bed to tie his shoes. “Just remember that there will be plenty of nurses. How were you planning to do that without them noticing?”

“There's no rule forbidding kisses,” Leo tried to sound convincing, but he began tapping his foot on the carpet. “Right?”

“Right. C'mon. We have to be in the lobby at 6 pm. Let's go.” As soon as Nico approached the door, he heard Leo taking a deep, shaky breath. He smiled to himself. Seeing his roommate so happy was refreshing for Nico.

The lobby was packed like a can of sardines, nonetheless. Everyone was wearing something vaguely elegant. Some people were holding hands, others were chatting, some others were putting some new boxes of plastic glasses in a bag with plastic straws and a big empty bowl for the punch. Annabeth Chase opened the lobby door with her magnetic card and smiled widely as she saw everyone so excited. She put her card in her pocket again and closed the door behind her back, raising her hands to catch everyone's attention.

“Thank you, guys.” She grinned happily. “I hope we're all going to have fun tonight. We don't have so many occasions to celebrate all together, so... let's make this day special. Dr. Grace and I will be there, if anyone needs anything. But you already know this, don't you?” Someone chuckled. “I supposed. Okay, we can go outside.” Annabeth nodded towards Hazel, who opened the door from where Annabeth had just come. The nurse began escorting everyone outside. Some patients needed the help of their nurse to step outside, but in general no one was causing big troubles.

The party began with everyone happily drinking their punch and having chats around the coffee table under the gazebo, or sitting on the grass. A tiny stereo positioned on a chair was playing a low music throughout the gardens, contributing to the sweet atmosphere created by some coloured lights hanging from a couple of trees. As soon as the night began approaching, the sky darkened and they could see the stars.

Nico, Leo and Reyna were animatedly chatting under a tree. Nico couldn't help but feeling like the third wheel, looking at his friends sheepishly smiling at each other and holding hands. Leo's face was beyond red, but the boy didn't seem to care. Taking a deep breath, Nico stood up and wiped his jeans from the grass. “Guys, I'm going to the bathroom. See you later.”

Reyna raised her gaze to look at him and handed him her empty plastic glass. “Could you please throw this away?”

“Sure!” Nico smiled at his friend, finally walking towards the trash can and throwing the object away. He turned around with curiosity to take a look at them, and he noticed that Leo was getting closer to kiss Reyna. Seconds later, the two were chastely kissing and hugging, leaning their backs against the tree. Nico couldn't hold a wide smile. That was the _cutest_ thing he had ever seen.

Sighing happily, Nico was about to ask a nurse to be escorted to the bathroom, but someone suddenly grabbed his wrist and dragged him behind another tree. Nico was going to scream for the surprise, but said someone covered his mouth with a hand.

“Shut the _fuck_ up. It's Piper.” The girl whispered in Nico's ear. “Calm down!”

Nico instantly stopped struggling and freed himself from her grip. “Why are we whispering?”, he asked, obviously whispering.

Piper rolled her eyes in exasperation. She probably thought he was dumb. “Because we don't want to be seen or heard. You have to follow me.”

“This sounds a lot like breaking the rules and I really don't wanna do that.” Nico raised his hands in defence. “Keep me out of this.”

“Didn't I tell you to shut _the fuck_ up?” Piper put her hands on her hips like an angry mom who was scolding her son. “You have no choice.”

“There's always a choice.”

“Drop this philosophical shit immediately. With me involved, there is _no_ choice.” Piper grabbed Nico's arm without any permission and began dragging him away from the nurses' sight; away from the gardens. They hid behind a wall. Nico instantly recognised that place as the small square in front of the recreational activities room, at the end of the girls' corridor. “Just wait here. Don't you dare _moving_.”

Nico was left alone without knowing what to do. It had been a miracle that no one had seen them. The sound coming from the tiny stereo was extremely low, almost impossible to hear from there. Plus, that place was damn dark. Nico couldn't see a thing without the coloured lights hanging from the trees, the only source of light coming from the moon. Anyway, Nico's thoughts were interrupted by a rustling noise coming from his left. It sounded like someone was struggling to walk past the bushes that encircled the small square. Then, said someone stumbled ceremoniously and fell on the grass.

“ _Dammit_! That hurt,” the owner of that voice stood up, wiping his jeans distractedly and hissing in pain for the fall. “Anyway. Hi.”

Nico had to squint in order to see his face. Though, he perfectly knew who that was. “Why am I here and what do you want.”

Percy huffed a laugh and grabbed Nico's wrist to drag him down towards the ground. They sat against the wall; Percy on the left, Nico on the right. “Because this is the best spot to see the fireworks. Trust me.”

Nico frowned in worry for a moment. How did he know that? Was it a habit for Percy to sneak outside to watch fireworks? For the first time, Nico realised that he had no idea of for how much time the boy had been in Blank Hill. He had never asked anyone. And he felt stupid for that. Everyone knew about what he had done, everyone knew about his diagnosis – even the mere tiny details – and basically everyone had seen him being sedated at least a million times. How was it that Nico had no idea of how much time Percy had spent in that place?

“Percy...” Nico saw Percy turning his head towards him with the corner of an eye. “How long have you been here?”

Percy, who was leaning on his hands with his legs crossed on the grass, chuckled faintly. It wasn't one of his usual teasing laughters; it had somehow sounded resigned. “A year.”

Nico widened his eyes in shock. “ _What_? Are you-”

“And a half.”

The Italian boy went suddenly silent, re-working the information in his brain. Percy had been there for a year and a half? He couldn't believe his ears. Why was he still there? Paranoid schizophrenia wasn't exactly a thing that was going to disappear.

“I know what you're thinking,” Percy said. “The court obliged me to come here for eleven months. But then... they just won't let me go home.”

Nico had never heard someone sounding so sad. _Hurt_. Lost, and possibly confused. He now got it why Percy was so mad at everyone in the East Wing. Nico looked at him with a compassionate expression. “You're not a minor. Why can't you just decide when going back home? This has nothing to do with your parents.”

Percy chuckled faintly again, tearing his eyes off Nico and looking at the stars. “No. That's right. But since I have been admitted here as a person unfit to plead, I have no say in the matter. They decide. My life is basically hanging from a sheet of paper with a psychiatrist signature.”

“Percy...” Nico couldn't stop looking at him, frowning with so much concern that he couldn't believe it. “I am so sorry for you.”

The sea-green eyed boy sighed thoroughly, trying to hide his feelings. But Nico was good at reading people, and he could easily tell that he really, _really_ wanted to cry. As if he was reading Nico's mind, Percy cleared his throat and turned around to smile at him mockingly. “Yeah, well. Shit happens. The world outside isn't much better.” He sniffed distractedly. “So... you're Italian.”

Nico chuckled, feeling the tension easing a bit. “Diversions. And you are highly perceptive.” He decided to not rub salt in a wound, aware of the fact that Percy was dying to drop that subject.

“You know. When I was little, around 8 years old or something, I used to have an imaginary friend who was Italian. She was a little girl around my age. Serena.” Percy said, catching Nico's attention immediately. “I didn't know she didn't exist. I knew nothing about my schizophrenia. That was when my parents told me. It became suddenly clear why I had to see a doctor every week and why I had to take those weird red pills and stuff. It was quite a shock.”

“Serena? Did you see her a lot?” Nico asked with deep interest. It was rare – better, _almost completely uncommon_ – to see Percy talking about himself. He was a good orator, being one of the reasons why people hang on his every word.

Percy nodded. “Basically all the time. I began telling about her to my friends in school. That was the moment when I became an outcast. She was the one who told me about my neighbour. It took me ages to decide to eventually do something about it.”

Nico had his eyes locked on the grass without actually seeing it. “Percy... I don't want to sound rude, but... since you're aware of the fact that she didn't exist, how did you get to know about your neighbour? This is _absurd_.”

The boy turned around and raised an eyebrow at Nico with a sparkle in his beautiful eyes. “That's actually a really good question. I think... I dunno, I think I began sneaking inside his house. I don't really know what I actually did when I thought to be taking a walk with Serena. It was years later that I understood that those were, like, fake memories or something.”

“So you don't remember ever entering his house?” Nico was completely absorbed by that conversation.

“Just once. It was for a dinner with family friends. He had invited some people from the neighbourhood. I suppose that was when the suspect sneaked inside my head.” Percy chuckled, playing with the grass with his hands.

Nico blinked a couple of times in astonishment. “You were _eight_.”

Percy shrugged. “That's not the weirdest premonition I've ever had when I was little. Believe me. I knew that my elementary school teacher did online scams. I was also convinced that her husband was cheating on her,” he chuckled. “She found out five years later, when I was in high school.”

“You're messing with me. C'mon.”

“I swear to God I am not!” Percy raised his hands in defence, chuckling a bit. “I had told my mom about all those things. And my therapist. They were as shocked as you are now, when the rumour spread in the city. Though, cheating is a really common practice. So, maybe, it was just a coincidence.”

Nico burst out laughing, throwing his head back for a few instants. “Fair enough. These things you're telling me... they are interesting.” He smiled sheepishly, happy about the fact that the darkness was covering his red cheeks.

“You know what else is interesting? I also found out, when I was 11 years old, that the principal of my middle school was planning a mass murder.” Percy locked his eyes with Nico's in total seriousness.

Nico held his breath, but then began giggling. “ _Now_ you're messing with me!”

Percy laughed seconds later, nodding in amusement and staring at the moon in the sky. “Caught with my hands in the cookie jar. Damn it. That was my best pick up line and you ruined it.”

Nico wiped a tear from the corner of an eye, trying to stop laughing. “Jesus Christ. I actually believed that for a second.”

“Can _I_ ask you something, now?” Percy said a couple of minutes later, after Nico had calmed down a bit. The Italian boy began nodding, an amused smile never leaving his face. They were intensely looking at each other in the eyes, and Percy went serious. “Can I kiss you?”

Nico's smile slowly faded away. He could still hear the happy voices coming from the front gardens behind their backs, from the distance. Nico wondered what time it was. “I... I don't know,” he began muttering with a low and embarrassed voice, uncertain of what to do. “Why do you want to kiss me?”

Percy raised an eyebrow at him sarcastically. “You ask the weirdest questions. Did you know that? _Why_? Are you serious?” He chuckled. “Can I kiss you, yes or no?”

Without even noticing, Nico found himself nodding almost imperceptibly. His heart was beating so fast that he was surprised about the fact that it still hadn't exploded in his chest. Seconds later, Percy was smiling sheepishly, stroking Nico's neck with a hand kindly pulling him closer. Nico closed his eyes, feeling his head going dizzy, and then Percy's lips were against his. It was the sweetest and softest kiss he had ever experienced. Percy's lips vaguely tasted like cherry. Nico smiled as the other boy tilted his head to kiss him deeper, thinking about the cherry punch. That was why he tasted like cherry.

Their tongues began clashing against each other, and what was a chaste kiss seconds earlier soon turned into something more passionate and needy. Percy's hands were cupping Nico's face, stroking his cheeks fondly as their chests kept stroking against one another. Nico grabbed Percy's shirt in his fists, desperately pulling him closer. He had soon become addicted to Percy's smell, Percy's taste and his warmth. Nico instantly found out that he was drunk in love with his lips. Percy began moaning inside Nico's mouth, making his hands travelling from his face to his waist. They were both trying to pull the other closer, though they were already almost completely pressed against each other.

When their mouths separated, with a wet noise that had echoed in the silence of the night, Nico realised that he had never seen Percy's eyes so closely. They looked like the seabed in a hot and sunny day of summer. You couldn't tell if they were blue or green. One second you were convinced they were blue; an instant later you already had changed your mind. Nico couldn't tear his eyes off them.

Percy was stroking Nico's sides with his hands, and Nico wouldn't have had the courage to bet on it, but he was probably blushing. “Thanks,” he murmured almost to himself.

Nico was slightly panting, but managed to huff a brief laugh. “You're thanking me because we just made out?”

“Why shouldn't I?” Percy smiled widely before being distracted by a loud whistle coming from the distance.

The boys both instantly raised their gazes towards the sky as a series of coloured fireworks began bursting with a happy crackled sound. Nico's mouth widened in a smile so genuine that he didn't even notice he was smiling. Percy had been right. That was the greatest spot to look at fireworks.

And, as Nico couldn't take his eyes off the sky, Percy couldn't take his eyes off Nico.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Updating on Monday evening CEST ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn it. It's Monday.

Nico was staring at a little white bird on the windowsill that afternoon. The bird was pecking some crumbs in absolute unawareness. It was peaceful to follow its movements, leaning with his chin in a hand and completely ignoring the recreational activity he was supposed to be doing. He could vaguely hear Mr. Grace's voice, telling the patients that working with clay was going to help them freeing their minds from anxieties and worries. Nico had no worries. In fact, Nico wasn't even sure about the reason he was in that room in the first place.

Surprisingly enough, the boy silently gasped when someone hit him in the ribs with his elbow. “Hey. Don't daydream,” Leo told him, chuckling teasingly at the sight of his roommate openly having his head in the clouds. “Stop thinking about Prince Charming. Your vase looks like a dog shit.”

Nico frowned in disgust and began finally modelling his clay. “Jeez. You surely know how to ruin a great moment.”

“A great moment? You're staring at a bird.” Leo grabbed a tiny brush and began refining the decorations of his vase. He squinted with concentration.

“How do you even manage to create such beautiful things?” Nico pointed at the object in Leo's hands, snorting in exasperation. “I can't even model a _ball_.”

Leo shrugged casually, as if the compliment hadn't pleased him at all. “Practice. I've spent here almost a half of my life.”

Nico couldn't help but slightly widening his mouth, and his cheeks flushed. “I'm sorry. I didn't think about it.”

“Hey, it's fine. Not your fault.” Leo chuckled and glanced around the room to look for Dr. Grace. As soon as they made eye contact, the boy waved an hand at him to made him sign to approach them.

Jason Grace arrived immediately with a fond smile. “Another piece of art. You know what, Leo? I'm running out of space in my office.”

“Does that mean that you steal my creations, Dr. Grace?” Leo scratched his nose with satisfaction, not even noticing that his face was now covered in clay.

“You're right. I should begin selling them. At least I would get something in return!” Dr. Grace put both in hands on his hips, and Leo and Nico chuckled for the joke. “All right. Tell the nurse you're done and you can go back to your room. You can stay here if you want, too.” The man instantly raised his hands as a sign of permission. “Do whatever you want. You're doing great lately. We're really proud.”

Nico smiled and looked at his friend sitting next to him, who was blushing slightly. Leo raised his eyes to gaze at the man with shyness. “T-thanks, Dr. Grace. I think I have a really good friend to support me, after all.” He quickly glanced at Nico before looking at his therapist again. “I wanted to ask a permit for a group fresh air hour next week. Is it possible?”

Dr. Grace crossed his arms on his chest, a knowing smile printed on his face. “Has this anything to do with a certain girl you like?”

Leo blushed again, making Nico rolling his eyes in amusement. “Uhm... Yes. We wanted to take a tea outside. Together.” He cleared his throat to hide the fact that he was embarrassed. “If it's all right.”

“I think we can do something. I'll have a chat with Dr. Chase. Can you be patient for a couple of days?” Jason put a hand on Leo's shoulder.

The boy immediately nodded, smiling with gratitude. “Yes. Of course. Thank you.”

Dr. Grace stroked his hand on Leo's shoulder one last time before approaching another patient who was claiming for his attention. Nico had never stopped looking at his friend with a knowing grin. “A _tea_? Uh-oh. Things are getting serious.”

“Oh, shut up.” Leo teasingly pinched Nico's arm, making him hissing in pain. “You of all people are talking!”

“What do you mean? I have no girlfriend I want to take out for a _tea_.” Nico wiggled his eyebrows at him. “You Casanova.”

“Fair enough!” Leo scratched his cheek distractedly, noticing that it was covered in clay. He began rubbing it away, trying to talk at the same time. “But there's someone who'd like to - _damn it_ , fucking clay! What was I saying? Oh _right_. Someone who'd like to take you _somewhere_ else, though.”

Nico huffed a laugh, slapping Leo's hand away and wiping his cheek with a napkin. “There you go. Anyway, what the hell are you talking about?”

Leo rolled his eyes with sarcasm. “ _Please_. I'm buying none of your shit. I'm talking about Percy and _his bed_. And you perfectly know it.”

Nico's cheeks flushed instantly and he began gazing around the room to make sure no one was listening to them. “Shut _the hell_ up,” he whispered, “no one knows about Percy and I. Apart from you and Reyna. And Will... but Will doesn't talk, so it's all right. Plus, it happened absolutely _nothing_ between us. We just kiss from time to time.”

“Sure. You just kiss.” Leo crossed his arms on his chest, leaning his back on the backrest of his chair. “Understatement of the century.”

Nico resumed his work with the clay, though he really wasn't paying attention. “Well, a couple of days ago it happened that...”, he coughed in embarrassment, “we just touched _a bit_ under the clothes. That's it. We had little time.”

Leo immediately laid closer with his eyes sparkling with trepidation to know more. “Oh shit! Really? Great,” he chuckled, frowning instants later. “Wait. Can I ask you something?”

“Your occupation in life is bombarding me with questions. So... do I have any choice?” Nico's vase looked like pee potty.

“Have you ever...” Leo blushed, taking a look behind their backs with suspicion. He laid even closer, whispering as low as he could. He was basically sitting in Nico's lap. “Have you ever did _the do_? Like... _that one_.”

Nico chuckled at his friend's naiveness. “Leo. Are you talking about fucking?”

Leo took a sharp breath. “ _Yes_. You're so gross, by the way.”

“Ah. Right. It's called _making love_ , not fucking.” Nico rolled his eyes in amusement. “No, Leo. I just got really close a few times.”

Dr. Grace was looking at them from the distance, probably wondering what they were talking about. He had a questioning glimpse on his face. As soon as Leo noticed, he pretended to be helping Nico with his vase. They began decorating it together, always whispering. “What do you mean with 'really close'?”

“You know... hand jobs, fing-”

“ _Shush_! Okay, all right. Got it.” Leo was so flustered to hear Nico talking about sex stuff so shamelessly that he couldn't handle it. “The first time I will... I will do _it_ , I'll probably pass out.”

Nico glanced at the clock on the wall, noticing that the recreational activity hour was going to end in ten minutes. Thank God, by the way. He sucked with clay. “You won't.” He then looked at Leo. “Could you _please_ throw this hideous thing away? I will not be able to look at it any further.”

Leo chuckled, taking Nico's vase – well, a ridiculous attempt of a vase – in his hands and standing up to bring it to the trash can. “But this conversation doesn't end here. I have a million things to ask you.”

Nico raised an eyebrow at him, wiping his hands with a towel. “I can't wait.”

** **

Spitting the toothpaste in the sink, Nico raised his head to take a look at himself in the mirror and turned off the tap. He was tired as hell and perfectly ready to have a long and satisfying night of sleep. As soon as he put his toothbrush in his little bathroom bag, someone hugged him from behind and kissed his neck. Nico basically melted, closing his eyes and smiling dumbly.

“Hey,” he whispered as Percy stopped biting his skin.

“Hey, New Kid.” Nico tried not to laugh for the nickname. There were two new patients in the Teenagers' Department, but Percy insisted with calling him that way. “I noticed you were the only one remaining in the bathroom and I took a chance.” The boy chuckled, wrapping his arms around Nico's waist tighter. “I'm feeling a bit... down.”

Nico frowned and turned around in the boy's arms to look at him in the eyes. “What do you mean down?”

Percy's eyes were slightly empty. “My meds. The antipsychotic is the worst one.”

Nico stroked Percy's cheeks fondly with his thumbs. “I'm so proud of you. You're doing really fine, Percy. You haven't kicked a guard in the crotch in two weeks now.”

“I miss that.” The sea-green eyed boy tried to hide the fact that he was feeling dizzy with a laugh. He always made sure to look like a badass, but the way he kept slowly blinking was difficult not to notice. “And I miss you.”

“I'm right here. What are you talking about?” Nico smiled, hugging Percy back and leaning his head on his chest. What a great thing that he was shorter than him.

Percy was stroking his hair affectionately, and for a moment Nico wanted to close his eyes and sleep standing in Percy's arms. “I don't mean it in _that_ way. I mean that... I miss having a normal relationship. Taking you out for dinner, going to the cinema, having an ice cream together or taking a walk in the park. Damn, Nico. I'm so sick and tired to be here.” Percy took a deep breath. “We can barely have some... _alone_ time.”

Nico raised his head from Percy's chest to raise an eyebrow at him mockingly. “Barely? We _can't_. That's it. The highest we can reach is _this thing_ that we're having right now.”

“And this reminds me that I have a proposition for you. You only have to say yes or no.” Percy smirked mischievously. “Right?”

Nico stared at Percy warily, but couldn't hold a grin. “Right. What are you up to, Jackson?”

“I'm planning a-”

“No.”

“Let me fin-”

“ _Hell no_. Whatever you're planning, stop it immediately! Your plans end badly every single time.” Nico let go of Percy's waist to cross his arms on his chest. “ _No_ breaking the rules, Percy. C'mon. You promised me.”

Percy hugged Nico tighter to try and soften him up. “But this is not dangerous! It's simple, really. Very, very simple. No one will get hurt, no one will-”

“Get drugged?”

“Exactly. This is a promise. Would you please listen to my plan, at least?” Percy made the sweetest version of his puppy eyes to convince him.

Nico snorted loudly and grabbed Percy's arms around his waist. “Fine. But if I don't like it, you'll renounce.”

“Pinky promise.” Percy quickly kissed Nico on the lips. “You ready?” At Nico's nod, Percy smiled widely.

** **

As one of his usual mornings, Nico had therapy at 9 am. Since the day he had begun dating Percy – because he had decided to be completely honest at least with himself. They _were_ dating - , Nico had also begun lying to his therapist. Telling lies to Annabeth was emotionally exhausting. She could read it in her patients' eyes, and Nico had the suspect that she had noticed. So, while he directed himself towards her office with Claire by his side, the boy had an epiphany of his first day in Blank Hill. The desire to break the glass of a window to run away from there had never been so strong.

Nico tried to act casual. He had sat down on the chair, grabbed the rainbow coloured spring that he was surely going to break sooner or later from the toys basket, and Annabeth had asked him how he was going. Nico had decided to murmur a half-truth, telling her that he was feeling a bit down because he felt slightly constricted in Blank Hill, lately. He had rattled off about how he missed going out, staying with his friends, talking to his parents on a daily basis. And Dr. Chase had almost bought it. Almost.

“You know, Nico... This reminds me of another conversation I had with another patient a couple of days ago. It is normal to feel this way after a while. But I also think that you're not telling me something.” Annabeth put her pen on the table, crossing her hands over the surface professionally. “Deflecting impedes therapy.”

It was impossible to ignore the woman's severe gaze. Nico knew it was going to happen. It had been too many days now that he had been hiding his relationship to her. “I'm...” he blushed slightly, “I'm falling in love, I think.”

Annabeth took her glasses off, widening her eyes in surprise and leaning closer. “Nico. This is a big deal. You didn't even told me you were interested in someone.”

“I wasn't!” Nico justified himself. “Everything happened... very quickly.” The spring in his hands was knotted.

“Everything _what_ , exactly?” Dr. Chase distractedly played with her glasses. “This is not good, Nico. And with 'this', I mean the fact that you didn't tell me.”

Nico's eyes filled with all the tears he had been holding since forever. The frustration was so overwhelming that he wondered how he had managed not to talk earlier. He didn't even know exactly _why_ he was hiding his relationship with Percy, but there was something telling him that revealing it to Annabeth was going to cause them troubles. “I'm sorry. But I was afraid you were not going to approve,” a tear crossed Nico's face silently. “And I really care about this person. I don't want to loose him.”

Annabeth sighed lowly, wearing her glasses again and handing Nico the sadly famous Kleenex box. Nico wondered for a moment if she had a warehouse, somewhere, full of that stuff. “Okay. I get it. But no more hiding, Nico. You never did such a thing.” Nico nodded frantically, blowing his nose loudly. “Can you now tell me who is this person you're falling in love with? Even if, I have to be honest, I may have a clue.”

Nico immediately locked his eyes with his doctor's, who was staring at him with a knowing but contained smile. “It's...”, he blushed furiously, “it's Percy.”

Dr. Chase hummed in amusement, looking not even a bit surprised. “As I thought so. You know what I was going to tell you, Nico? About this.” Nico shook his head, full of expectations and hopes. “I was going to tell you that I think it is _great_. For the both of you.”

It was really hard for Nico to describe how he felt, hearing Annabeth's words. Nico felt a mixture of incredulity, relief and... well, stupidity. He felt stupid. The memory of a previous therapy session in which they had talked about Percy came to Nico's mind, reminding him that his doctor had already expressed her appreciation towards their interaction. Nico perfectly remembered how she hadn't basically given a damn about the ice cream episode, focusing on the conversation they had had instead. Maybe, in Blank Hill, it wasn't everything about following the rules and behave. Maybe, being a bit transgressive was a thing Nico had to learn how to handle, instead of avoid.

“I really... I really don't know what to say,” Nico murmured pretty much to himself.

Annabeth's lips curved in a fond smile. “Since the very first day you arrived here, Percy mentioned you during therapy. I knew you had caught his attention even before _he_ realised that. I'm not going to talk about him, Nico. Absolutely. You know that I can't. But I want to talk to you about the _two_ of you. Together.” Nico looked at her, waiting for her speech to continue. “This is all about affection. Donating your heart to someone. And you have a really hard time doing it, as we both know. Since your sister died, you developed a series of dangerous trust issues that were intoxicating you. You forgot how to open up or how to express your feelings properly. And no one is blaming you for this, Nico.”

Nico didn't remember when he had started crying. Hearing those things out loud was freeing and painfully devastating at the same time.

“This is your chance. A way to redeem yourself. It is not about having a boyfriend, living together, marrying and solving all your problems this way. This is about learning how to love.” Annabeth finished her speech. Her eyes were slightly wet. “Do you understand?”

The boy nodded quietly, re-working his doctor's words in his mind. So it wasn't about Percy. It was about _himself_. “I understand. I think... I feel like I have so much hope in my heart. I hadn't felt like this for years. And then... Leo said a weird thing about me a couple of weeks ago.”

“Did he? Would you like to tell me?” Annabeth crossed her legs on the chair, giving all her attention to the boy.

Nico sniffed. “He said that I have a special aura. That people feel like doing good things when they're around me. I used to think that I fuc-”, he coughed embarrassingly, blocking himself from swearing in front of his therapist. Annabeth chuckled knowingly. “I mean... I used to think that I _messed_ everything I touched. I'm having a hard time believing what he said it's true.”

“It is curious you're saying this right now. Because I was ready to ask you how do you see yourself, now that you think you're falling in love. Do you still think you're capable of messing everything?” Dr. Chase began playing with her pen. “You have friends telling you – and telling _me_ \- that you're special. There's a boy who can't shut his mouth about you during therapy,” she smirked. “Do you have any evidence that you can _fuck up_ so easily?”

Nico raised an eyebrow at the woman with half amusement and half surprise. He couldn't hold a grimace, though. “But Bianca-”

“No. You were _not_ driving that car, Nico. You were a kid. The day you'll stop blaming yourself for your sister's death will be the day you'll be unburdened. And believe me, you're almost there.”

The two looked at each other intensely before Nico was able to finally nod. “All right.” He choked a sob in his throat as Annabeth smiled at him reassuringly, grabbing her pen and taking a few notes as he reflected on her words.

The boy took a look outside the window. There was a little white bird pecking some crumbs on the windowsill.

And Nico finally felt free as the little white bird took flight, soaring towards the sky.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nico is _probably_ sorting out his problems. Probably.
> 
> Guys, I have a question: are you finding the plot too slow or something? It's basically my first time posting such a long fiction. I have doubts and fears and 'omgomg's. Thank you to everyone who's reading this <3 
> 
> (PERCY, WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?!?!?!?)
> 
> Update: Wednesday evening CEST!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys.
> 
> There's a _reason_ I rated this fic Explicit. 
> 
> (¬‿¬)

That had been a weird morning for Nico.

First of all, he felt like a criminal because he was organising the most rebellious thing he had ever done in his entire life with Percy, Piper and – surprisingly enough - Leo. Said thing was programmed for the same evening, being the principal reason why Nico's anxiety was reaching levels he didn't know existed. Second of all, the whole Teenagers' Department had flooded because one of the pipes in the girls' bathroom had broken. It had been absurd to wake up with the feeling of living in a giant pool. Sadly enough, the problem had been soon solved as the pipe had been repaired and the water absorbed or picked up with the help of a shit ton of buckets. Of course, the East Wing patients had helped with that. It had been extremely funny when Piper McLean had slammed the door of her room open, wearing exclusively a bikini with flip-flops and sunglasses – why _the hell_ did she have a bikini, though? - and claiming that finally the superintended of that damn hospital had decided to do something about the lack of entertainment in that place.

Well, re-thinking about it... Nico had fun.

As he entered the canteen to pick his lunch and sit with Leo and Reyna, Nico immediately understood that something big was going on. Another weird thing was going to happen that day? Wow. Nico couldn't believe his eyes. In fact, a small crowd had reunited in front of the row of water tanks, chatting animatedly and being loud in general. Nico put his lunch on a table, a questioning look on his face. The nurses were smiling, looking at the scene without even frowning. Whatever the hell was going on, it was a good one. And so, he approached the crowd.

Leo was in the middle of it, receiving pats on his shoulders and shaking hands here and there. Nico kindly pushed Will Solace to a side to manage to be finally in front of his roommate.

He took a quick breath, putting his hands on his hips. “Sorry to interrupt, but... what the heck is going on? Did you win a Nobel prize?”

Leo smiled widely as he looked at Nico, not even trying to hide the fact that he was blushing. His eyes were wet. “Nico,” he swallowed, trying to contain a sob. “Nico. I'm going home.”

Nico's amused facial expression instantly turned into pure shock as he widened his mouth, raising his hands from his hips to cover his mouth. “ _Bloody fuck_!”

“Yeah,” Leo began chuckling, his face turning red and his eyes filling with tears for the millionth time that morning. “Bloody _fuck_ , buddy.”

With a long stride Nico was in front of him, hugging him so tight that Leo was probably going to find out he had a couple of broken ribs. The two friends began giggling and basically crying at the same time, and Leo buried his face in Nico's neck. The surrounding patients were glancing at each other with a series of wide grins. As Nico and Leo separated, the Italian boy sniffed loudly, letting go of his roommate. “Congratulations. I'm damn proud of you, Leo.”

“I'm kinda freaking out, but it's all right.” Leo blew his nose with a Kleenex. “I'm leaving in three days. I'll miss you so much... you've been the greatest roommate I've ever had. The best friend I've ever had.” The boy couldn't help but bursting into tears again, gaining a few amused chuckles from the other patients.

Even Nico had to laugh, despite everything. “Hey, Leo. Thank you. You're the best friend I've ever had, as well. Did you know?”

Leo smiled at him knowingly as Nico winked to ease the tension. “I had some clues. But...,” he shrugged, “I mean it. You're the best, Nico.”

The two hugged again and the people around them began clapping their hands happily.

“ _Oookay_! Valdez, get your _filthy_ hands off my boyfriend if you don't want me to cut them off.” Everyone turned around to look at Percy as Nico and Leo's hug broke. The sea-green eyed boy had his arms crossed on his chest, an evil grin planted on his face and an eyebrow dangerously raised; though his eyes were sparkling. “Well done, Hot Stuff. You're free.”

Leo and Percy looked at each other intensely before Leo took the courage to stretch his arm forward, offering his hand to him to shake it. Percy moved his gaze from Leo's eyes to his hand, his evil grin never leaving him. It was quite a shock to watch as it turned into a genuine smile. The two shook their hands, putting their past behind.

Leo was slightly trembling, but he managed to pull himself together anyway. “Even if in a sick, brutal and horrible way... thank you for caring about me.”

Their handshake broke. “What did your significant other say about this?”

“She wants to bake me a goodbye cake.” Leo crossed his arms on his chest, smiling with great satisfaction. He didn't fear Percy anymore.

Percy snorted sarcastically. “Damn it. This is not fair at all.”

Leo shrugged. “What can I tell you? I've got better taste when it comes to choose a partner.”

“Hey!” Nico frowned, pretending to be deeply offended.

The small crowd around them began splitting. Some patients directed themselves to their tables, others to their rooms. Leo and Percy kept looking at each other, both chuckling. “You're probably right,” answered Percy, nodding with complicity.

“ _Hey_!” Nico repeated, kicking one of Percy's legs.

Percy ignored him. “Anyway. I really hope you're still eager for tonight, Hot Stuff. We can't postpone it. I want you ready to face anything. Clear enough?”

Leo nodded once with great composure. “Absolutely. I'm a bit afraid that if someone is going to catch me I will not be able to go back home anymore, but I'm prepared for this eventuality.”

Percy casually waved a hand in the air, rolling his eyes as if the risk was nothing. “Nah. It's all right. You'll be fine.”

“23.30, then?” Leo asked uncertain. Nico was blushing furiously.

“23.30.” Percy confirmed. “Not a minute later.”

“Fair enough.”

** **

Nico had been staring at the clock on the wall of his room for an uncountable amount of time. The minute hand looked like frozen. It didn't move. Nico began wondering whether Blank Hill had put a broken clock in his room or not. But then, when Leo began tying his shoes in hurry, the Italian boy got the confirmation that the clock was actually working: it was 11.30 pm.

The moonlight filtered through the fabric of the white curtains, illuminating Leo's back in the darkness of the room. There was a blue nuance swallowing everything, contributing to the atmosphere of secrecy as if it was helping the two boys hiding their intentions. They were not supposed to be doing that. Nico was aware of it. But he still couldn't wait any longer: he _needed_ it.

“Okay. At Piper's signal, I'm going into Percy's room. You have to wait ten minutes; try to not freak out in the meanwhile. If something bad is going to happen, I'm gonna scream. If the night nurse sees us, we're fucked. If she doesn't, maybe God is keeping an eye on you.” Leo murmured, approaching the door and opening it as slowly as he could. He never tore his eyes off the corridor, waiting for Piper to show up on the other side of the lobby.

“Can you see something? What is the nurse doing?” Nico asked, whispering behind Leo's back. “Are you sure you'll be able to see Piper's signal?”

“Nico, calm down. It's pretty absurd that _I_ of all people have to tell you this,” Leo quickly turned around to wink at him with a smirk. “The nurse is reading, by the way.”

“Jesus Christ. She's totally going to see you. Maybe we should give up before it's too late.” Nico was biting one of his nails.

Leo snorted, rolling his eyes even if Nico couldn't see him. “No. We're doing this. It's exciting to break the rules. Why didn't I ever do this? Damn it,” he murmured almost to himself. “Oh! _Oh_. Shush. There's Piper.”

Nico approached Leo, distractedly putting a hand on his shoulder and looking at Piper through the crack in the door, as she approached the nurse with a lollipop in her mouth. It was pretty obvious that the girl had begun talking animatedly, even if the boys weren't able to hear what she was saying. Her gesticulation skills were making Nico jealous. The nurse was probably complaining about the fact that she was out of bed, planning to call a guard if she had no intention to go back to her room soon. Then, as the woman kindly grabbed Piper's arm to try and escort her down the corridor, Piper threw her lollipop behind her back ceremoniously.

“ _Go_! Go, go, go!” Nico murmured, pushing Leo outside the room and trying to ignore the fact that his heart was beating extremely fast.

“Okay! Have _fun_. Bye!” Leo disappeared in the darkness, away from his roommate's sight. Piper was still arguing with the nurse, but as soon as she noticed with the corner of her eye that Leo was opening Percy and Will's door, she dropped her acting. Leo disappeared in the boys' room as Piper began apologising to the woman in front of her. Wanting to make sure the girl was going to be out of troubles, Nico waited as she went back to her room. He sighed with relief when he realised that the first part of their plan had actually worked. The nurse shook her head to herself, sitting on her chair again and grabbing the book she had been reading from the coffee table.

Ten minutes. Now, the last thing Nico had to do was to wait for ten minutes. Reluctantly, he began staring at the clock on the wall again. And again, he convinced himself that it was broken. Fifteen minutes ticked away. Twenty. Nico was freaking out.

Then, the door of his room began slowly opening, and Percy appeared. As Nico stood up with his heart beating at a dangerous speed, Percy checked one last time if anyone had seen him. With a victory grin, he closed the door behind his back, turning around to look at Nico in the darkness of the room. The moonlight was illuminating a portion of Percy's face, revealing that his eyes were sparkling.

“I'm here,” Percy said, failing miserably in holding a grin.

Nico trembled for the anxiety which was swallowing him whole. “You're here.”

Percy approached him slowly, stroking the boy's cheeks with affection and kindly pushing him against the wall. Nico's head bumped against the cold surface, and the two locked their eyes together intensely. “Tell me one thing, Nico,” he whispered.

“What thing?” Nico put his hands on Percy's waist.

“Tell me you're real,” the sea-green eyed boy murmured against Nico's lips. He had said it so quietly that Nico had a hard time understanding his words.

“I'm real.” Nico felt like he was about to cry at any moment. That moment was perfect.

Percy nodded, finally pressing their lips together. He sneaked his tongue inside Nico's mouth as he stroked his thumbs on the boy's cheeks. Nico hugged him tighter and, with a spurt of passion, he wrapped a leg around Percy's hip. All of a sudden, the tension disappeared and it soon began clear that they were both craving to live that moment as intensely as they could. Percy made his hands travel from Nico's cheeks to his thighs, and Nico got the hint as he made a small jump to straddle his waist. To make sure that the boy was not going to fall, Percy hold his legs tight and flipped them around, walking towards Nico's bed – not with slight difficulty, since they were still kissing with ardour, tilting their heads into different angles every two seconds and basically devouring the other's mouth.

Percy gently laid Nico on the mattress, climbing over his body without hurting him and tangling their legs together as he pulled his hair and kissed his neck passionately. Nico began moaning at the sensation of his boyfriend's tongue licking all the way down to his collarbone, and he almost gasped for the surprise when his warm hands sneaked under his t-shirt. Their lips met again and Nico removed Percy's t-shirt, throwing it away on the floor.

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Percy whispered against Nico's lips. He was involuntarily rubbing his crotch between the boy's legs, panting almost imperceptibly. Nico felt his erection growing harder against Percy's.

“Yes... I'm not breaking the rules for a couple of kisses,” Nico tried to hide his fear with a smile. “I love you. And I want this.”

A flash crossed Percy's eyes in an instant. “You love me?”

They looked at each other profoundly while Nico wrapped his legs around Percy's waist, grinding his hips against his to find some friction. He moaned quietly. “Yes.”

“Lord,” Percy huffed as he kissed Nico again. His hands were pulling his hair almost distractedly. “I love you.”

With renewed passion, the two began undressing with urge. Percy couldn't absolutely keep his hands to himself and began stroking them everywhere on Nico's body. They were now completely naked, clashing their bodies against the other, their heads on cloud nine. Nico sneaked a hand between their tangled legs, wrapping it around Percy's dick and stroking it with practice.

Percy buried his face between Nico's neck and collarbone, widening his mouth in a loud moan. Nico hoped no one had heard that. “ _Nico_... I haven't been touched for so damn long... Don't make me come soon.”

Nico chuckled quietly, rubbing his thumb around the tip of Percy's dick to tease the boy. “Oh? Why should I care?”

Without any warning, Percy grabbed Nico's wrists and pinned them to the mattress over his head. The boy gasped, not even trying to hide how much he liked to be handled a bit roughly. “I remember clearly to have already pointed out how weird your questions are,” Percy chuckled as Nico pulled him closer with his legs.

They kissed again as they tried not to laugh in the other's mouth. Percy was messily rubbing the tip of his cock against Nico's entrance.

“Percy,” Nico whispered. “I am ready. _Please_. I can't wait any longer.”

“ _Hell_ no,” Percy protested with a concerned expression. “Are you crazy? I haven't prepared you, yet. I'll hurt you.”

Nico's cheeks flushed so intensely that the boy was glad they were in the dark. “It's not... I mean, it is not necessary. I did it myself, you know... when Leo was taking a shower. Just... be careful. And it'll be fine.”

The bed's springs squeaked a bit as Percy moved to lean on his elbows, always gripping Nico's wrists in his fists. He had an eyebrow mockingly raised, accompanied by a knowing grin. “You did _what_? That was half the fun! How _dare_ you,” he chuckled. Though, he didn't feel offended at all.

“I was afraid-,” Nico blushed even harder, “I was afraid we had too little time.”

Percy bit his lower lip to hold a laugh. “Fair enough.” He had to moan when Nico undulated his hips to find some relief. “Jeez,” he sighed with pleasure. “This is not gonna last much.”

Nico closed his eyes and chuckled quietly as Percy freed one of his wrists to stroke his own cock for a couple of instants. “Just do it already.”

When Percy attached his lips to Nico's neck, Nico could feel the tip of his cock making its way inside of him. The Italian boy's body stiffened for the intrusion. He couldn't help but squeezing his eyes shut for the pain, groaning quietly to not scare Percy. His attempt failed miserably though, because Percy stopped pushing inside of him to take a look at his face with worry. He recognised pain when he saw it.

“Nico... should I stop?”, he asked quietly, half of his dick inside of him.

The boy shook his head frantically, trying to move his hips to encourage him. His grimace of pain wasn't reassuring Percy at all. “No, no, no. Please. I want this. I want you.”

With reluctance – but also with intense pleasure - Percy began pushing inside of him again, as carefully as he could. Nico's mouth was opened in a silent cry of pain. When he finally managed to slide inside of him to the base, Percy laid his forehead on Nico's chest, growling low in his throat. The excitement was so overwhelming that he was deeply surprised he hadn't come yet. He couldn't believe that Nico trusted him enough to gift him his innocence, his love and his passion. No one had ever done such a thing for Percy. No one trusted Percy.

With his free hand, Nico stroked Percy's hair fondly, sensing the strength of his thoughts through the skin. He swallowed a bit as he tried to get used to the sensation of being filled. It was like a small balloon had exploded in his heart, expanding its warmth throughout his whole body. The emotion was too strong, the love for Percy too mind-blowing. He couldn't help but letting a tear crossing his cheek. “Percy... thank you. Thank you for existing.”

Percy raised his head to look at him, and Nico's heart lost a beat when he noticed that he was crying, too. “Thank you for giving me a chance when no one did.”

They smiled at each other.

As Nico took a deep breath and nodded to encourage him, Percy began kindly pulling out. The pain was still there, but he could feel it easing slightly. With each passing minute, their movements grew more needy and sinuous. Nico widened his mouth with pleasure, huffing a moan into Percy's ear unintentionally. Percy appreciated it a lot though, because at the signal that Nico was enjoying it, he set a steady pace that could have satisfied the both of them.

The sea-green eyed boy pinned both Nico's wrists over his head again, looking at him in the eyes as he thrust inside of him deeply. Nico's hips were rocking with Percy's, his legs wrapped around his waist, suggesting him the rhythm he liked more. They began sinfully moaning in the other's mouth, and Nico had no doubt that the patients next to his room could hear them. There were going to be rumours and gossips about it the day after, but Nico couldn't afford to give a damn in that moment.

When Percy changed the angle of his thrusts, Nico gave up and let him in charge. His body was rocking back and forth on the mattress, provoking a rustling noise against the sheets to keep company to the springs squeaking under them. Percy let go of Nico's wrists to grab his hips possessively, and Nico could surely tell that he was on cloud nine, or maybe completely on another planet. He couldn't help but keeping his eyes locked with Percy's, his moans growing louder and shameless.

He dug his nails into Percy's back, not even lingering for a second in the doubt that he was hurting him. He could feel his climax approaching with intensity as a delirious sensation swallowed him whole.

Percy's movements were so quick that the headboard began slightly bumping against the wall. “Nico, _Nico_!”

The two cried in pure pleasure almost at the same time as Percy filled Nico with his cum, bringing him to the edge and making him come as well. Nico's orgasm hit him with the intensity of an earthquake, shattering his world and blinding his mind for a few seconds. Percy collapsed on his chest, panting hard against it. None of them could manage to catch his breath. It hadn't lasted much, but Percy blamed it on Nico's basically illegal sexiness.

Nico began distractedly stroking his hands into Percy's hair, staring at the ceiling with his legs still spread and the boy between them. “There's no fucking way that the whole hospital didn't hear us.”

Percy started chuckling uncontrollably, unable to hold his happiness. “Wow. The quantity of how many fucks I give it's impressive.” He laid with his elbows on the mattress to avoid leaning over Nico any longer. He wasn't exactly lightweight. “Sex is highly forbidden, but I don't think anyone is gonna tell Dr. Chase or a nurse or something.” He sat on the mattress between Nico's spread legs.

As the sea-green eyed boy began looking for his boxers, Nico had to stretch an arm to grab his t-shirt on the night-stand. He wore it, surely not going to ask himself how the heck it had managed to get on the night-stand. Some things were better left in doubt. “If you say so. And by the way...” he blushed as Percy turned to look at him, grinning mischievously. “That was... _amazing_.”

Percy chuckled, standing up on the carpet and wearing his jeans seconds later. He also managed to pick Nico's boxers from the floor to throw them at his face. Nico laughed and grabbed them. “I know. I'm amazing.”

Nico raised an eyebrow at him with sarcasm. Though he couldn't find anything to object. “What are the plans, now? You go steal a bottle of grape juice and pretend it's wine or-”

All of a sudden, the door of Nico's room slammed open, making both Percy and Nico startling. The Italian boy stood up and gripped Percy's arm instinctively. Thank God they were dressed. Well... _almost_ dressed.

“What is going on here?” Hazel turned the lights on instantly and Nico noticed that a little crowd had reunited in the corridor. “Oh, _no_. Guys. What happened here?!”

Nico swallowed hard, not even trying to find a reasonable excuse. Percy was shirtless and wearing jeans. On the other hand, Nico had a shirt. But how was he going to hide the fact that he wasn't wearing pants?

They were fucked.

They were violating curfew. They had had sex. Percy was not in his room – and so wasn't Leo. More than one patient was involved and they were surely gonna have so many troubles because of it that Nico instantly felt guilty for his actions. If Leo wasn't able to go back home because of them... Nico didn't want to think about it. Not now.

“We just-” Nico's throat dried as Dr. Chase appeared apparently from nowhere, kindly making her way through the crowd of patients to enter the room.

 _Now_ they were fucked.

“Okay. The show is over. Everyone go back to their rooms. Percy, you should probably follow me now.” Annabeth wiggled her fingers towards him as a confirmation. “We're gonna take serious measures because of this.”

Nico paled. “ _No_. No, no, no. Please. We planned this together, we were-”

Dr. Chase raised a hand at him to shush him. “Silence. I'm very, _very_ disappointed in you. But you are in your room. Percy isn't. Leo Valdez has already been caught out of his bed. He tried to defend you, but I'm afraid he's gonna face the same consequences as Percy's.”

“No fucking way.” Percy stepped forward to lock his eyes with Annabeth's. He could feel Nico's grip on his arm tightening. “Leo must stay out of this. If anything is gonna happen to him, I'm getting seriously mad. If you don't let him go home anymore, I will-”

“You will _what_ , Percy? You didn't even think for a moment that you were putting other patients in troubles? You have no respect for the rules.” The doctor froze him with a deep stare. “There's a reason I don't think you're ready to go home.”

Percy began laughing with incredulity, and Nico saw Hazel Levesque calling the guards. “Oh _Jesus Christ_! This is always about me! I have a bad influence, I'm apathetic, I scare other patients, I make them cry!” He began laughing even louder. “Then, I'm telling you I'm falling in love and you say ' _oh Percy this is great_ '! ' _You're improving so much_ '! But you know what, Chase? I'm _fucking_ crazy. And you _fucking_ hate me. And we both know it. I'm your hopeless case and you can't wait to see me tied to a bed for the rest of my fucking life. _Isn't it_?!” Percy shouted with anger.

A deep silence fell in the room. Both Annabeth and Nico were staring at Percy in disbelief. “Okay. Now, you calm down.” The woman raised her hands in surrender. “Percy. It's all right.”

“ _Nothing_ is all right!” Percy began shouting again, his eyes filling with tears and desperation. “This world is messed up! There's not a single thing going right! I finally find a reason to be happy, and you _ruin_ it! I hate this place, I hate therapy, I hate those meds!” He wiped a tear from his cheek. “And I fucking hate _myself_!”

“Percy... calm down,” Nico murmured, breathing quickly and glancing at Hazel every two seconds. The woman had a hand in her pocket, surely holding a syringe in her fist. Two guards were behind her back.

“No, Nico!” Percy turned around to look at him. His face was worn out. “They have to understand! I'll never improve. I'll never get better! Because _I'm fucked up and I'll always be_!”

“Okay. I think this is enough. You calm down immediately.” Annabeth didn't tear his eyes off Percy. She made the mistake to put a hand on his shoulder. “I'm here for you.”

Percy's anger grew so strong and so quick that with two long strides he had slammed his doctor against the closet. “Not even _you_ can heal me! Don't you get it?!” The guards instantly jumped on him as the woman put a hand on her chest, closing her eyes and sighing in defeat. Hazel approached them with hurry, trying to grab Percy's left arm as he struggled to free himself from the guards' grip.

Nico dropped on the floor with a hand covering his mouth, crying so loud that the whole department could have heard him. Percy suddenly stopped struggling, falling unconscious in one of the guards' arms.

It was over. They were over.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I am sorry...? ~~You said cliffhanger? Who said cliffhanger?? Not me!!!!~~
> 
> Next update on Friday evening (CEST)...?
> 
> *apologising intensely*


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW, I'M HORRIBLE. HERE IT IS THE SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER. FORGIVE ME.

The storm had been falling over Blank Hill for a few hours now. The rain was hitting the windows of Annabeth Chase's office so hard that it was provoking a loud noise which remotely resembled to rocks rolling down a cliff. Nico was staring at the trees in the gardens, swinging dangerously because of the strong wind. He felt exactly like a tree during a summer storm. Struggling, agitating, trying to not break. But without any possibility to run away from where he was.

His parents' voices vaguely echoed in his mind while they talked to his psychiatrist. Nico casually tried to catch portions of their conversation, but he couldn't focus on anything. Every word sounded dumb, every suggestion was pure nonsense, every scolding useless. The only thing Nico was waiting for was to be finally left alone. But then, something caught his attention. Annabeth had begun talking about Leo.

“And so, it was necessary to postpone his return home. Just a few days. The most important thing is that every person involved gets the gravity of what he or she did, being the main reason you're here today.” The woman finished her speech, looking at Hades and Maria di Angelo on the other side of the desk, her legs crossed on the armchair. Nico was a faint presence in the room, sitting on the couch behind his parents' back. “This is really serious.”

Hades frowned in confusion, adjusting his position on the chair and gesticulating animatedly as he talked. “But Nico told us it already happened that he violated curfew? Why punishing him now, and not earlier? I really don't understand.”

“The fact is, Mr. di Angelo,” Dr. Chase quickly glanced at Nico on the couch, feeling reluctant at the idea of she was going to say to his father, “what happened a couple of nights ago is much more grievous. When McLean and Jackson stole a couple of ice cream boxes, I decided to turn a blind eye on them. But this...” she shook her head in disappointment. “Sexual relations are strictly forbidden.”

Maria di Angelo paled instantly. “ _Sexual_ relations, Dr. Chase?” Hades was rubbing his eyes tiredly next to her.

Annabeth sighed, waiting a couple of seconds before answering. She was trying her best not to sound too concerned. “I'm afraid yes. Our Department Head found Nico and Jackson partially undressed in your son's room, and Jackson admitted what they had done a few hours later. Plus, Nico is a minor.”

Nico, who had been listening to every word with disgust, began chuckling on the couch. “Seriously? Does it matter? I can't believe it.” He covered his mouth as he chuckled louder, almost hysterically. He hadn't slept in forty-eight hours, after all.

“Nico. _Please_.” Hades looked at his soon with the saddest expression Nico had ever seen on him. He wasn't just sad. He was resigned, disappointed and angry. And scared.

The boy stood up, approaching his doctor's desk with a tear which was drying on his cheek. He leaned his hands over the surface, looking so tired and worn out that Annabeth wondered how he hadn't collapsed yet. “Tell me where he is.”

The woman locked her eyes with her patient's. They looked at each other deeply before she shook her head firmly. “No. You're not allowed to know.”

“ _Tell me_. _Where_. _He is_.” Nico leaned closer as he basically hissed with anger and frustration in front of his psychiatrist. “What did you do? Is he tied to a chair, trying to remember his name since you drowned him in sedatives?”

Hades di Angelo grabbed Nico's wrist as a warning. “Nico. Sit down. And think about what you've done.”

A tear crossed Nico's face. He never tore his eyes off his doctor. “You told us you approved our relationship. You told us it was great. Percy had improved so much. We were happy and full of hopes. And now you separate us. You won't even tell me _where the fuck he is!_ ” Nico shouted the last sentence at Annabeth, filling it with all the frustration he had accumulated in the past two days.

Dr. Chase stood up to be able to look at Nico on the same level. She leaned her hands on the desk calmly. “This is not about your relationship with Percy. The rules are-”

“Screw those _damn_ rules!” Nico roared with anger. More tears began shamelessly streaming down his cheeks. “I wanna know what you've done to him! _Please_!”

“I can assure you he is not-”

“ _Please_.” Nico asked again, almost whispering. The anger was slowly leaving its place to a strong tiredness. “I love him.”

Maria di Angelo put a hand on her chest, closing her eyes and murmuring something to herself. She couldn't stand the sight of her son suffering so much. She didn't want to lose him. She didn't want to lose anyone. Not again.

Annabeth sat down, shaking her head slowly. “No. Don't insist, Nico. I don't want to take more drastic measures. Now... Until the moment I'll make sure you've got the gravity of what happened, we're gonna take two steps back and register you as a '+2' again.” Nico's eyes emptied as he slowly sat on the couch, staring at the carpet at his feet. His doctor began making a list of all the measures she was going to take since he had broken the rules. “We'll keep an eye on you constantly. No more fresh air hours for two weeks. No more group fresh air hours in general 'till I decide otherwise. Your therapy sessions will increase again. And you're not allowed to spend your free time in the recreational area with your friends, the only exception being Dr. Grace's therapeutic activities. When Leo will go back home, we'll find you a new roommate. And that's all, for now.”

Hades sighed in resignation as he signed the document Dr. Chase was politely handing to him. Maria signed it a few seconds later, too. She then turned around to glance at her son, who had just understood why there were patients in that building who didn't want to talk anymore.

No one was going to listen to them, anyway.

** **

Nico di Angelo had spent the past few days in almost complete isolation. Since he wasn't allowed in the recreational area, he couldn't do anything different than reading a book or watching TV in the lobby. And since the nurses were the ones who decided what the patients could watch, basically everything on TV sucked. Newscasts weren't authorized because they provoked apprehension to a dangerously high amount of patients. They could watch exclusively cartoons or movies with no sexual or violent content whatsoever. After a week without having the access to his fresh air hour, Nico knew everything about the Bengal tiger. He was going nuts with all those documentaries.

The day Leo was finally allowed to go back home, Nico felt like dying. There was Reyna, that was true, but the girl's schedule was totally different from Nico's. They didn't meet a lot during the day. Plus, she was a bit upset for what had happened to her boyfriend. Nico knew she probably didn't want to talk to him anymore.

When Leo handed him his copy of _Animal Farm_ , Nico almost didn't notice. “Hey. Nico. I'll come to visit you and Rey, as well. Okay?” He was looking at him with deep sadness, feeling so sorry for his roommate and now best friend. “You'll go through this. I know you can.” As he sat on the mattress next to him, he realised that Nico's eyes were filling with tears. Funny how easily he used to break down, lately. Leo knew how he felt. “Time will pass, and everything will go back to normal.” He put the book in Nico's lap. “All right?”

Nico's head slowly turned towards him, as if it was a great effort to manage to make any movement. He was tired. “Thanks,” he whispered almost to himself. “I know it's your favourite book.”

“Listen,” Leo stroked Nico's thigh with affection and to encourage him a little. “Reyna is not mad at you. She's just... she was worried about me. But she's fine now. Talk to her at dinner. You keep avoiding us... and I'm leaving in a few hours. I don't want you to be left alone.”

Nico raised his gaze at his friend, without being able to hide a bit of surprise. “Isn't she? We did something horrible to you. And to Piper. _God_ ,” he took his head in his hands, sighing loudly. “I feel like shit because of this.”

“I was happy to help you. And I didn't regret it.” Leo smiled reassuringly, elbowing him in the ribs teasingly. “C'mon. Smile a bit! I'm sure that as soon as all this story will be over, you'll go home sooner than you think.”

Nico sighed, holding _Animal Farm_ in his hands and absently looking at the cover. “I don't even know where Percy is. He's been away for over a week.” He turned around to look at Leo, his face devastated for his deep concern. “Do you think he is, like, in another department or something? Maybe he was right. They couldn't wait to tie him to a bed.”

“I find this possibility highly improbable. Okay, maybe he freaked out a bit,” Leo blushed slightly, though Nico didn't notice. “But it already had happened before. No. He's not tied to anything, trust me. I think he's fine and surely wondering the same about you.”

“I hope it is true...” Nico stroked a hand through his mop of dark hair. “I'll miss you so much.”

Leo wrapped an arm around his shoulders, smiling fondly at him as they looked at each other intensely. “I'm not sure you're aware of it, but... you basically saved me. Or helped _a lot_ , anyway.” He winked at Nico, who chuckled a bit. Leo felt reassured by the result he had just obtained. “I have your number. I have your email. I have your address. This is not a goodbye. It is more like a... goodbye, _for now_.”

Nico bit his lower lip, trying to hold a sob. He was quietly nodding. “You're right. We'll see again.”

As Leo widened his arms with a smirk on his face, Nico couldn't help but feeling a deep affection for him. They hugged for a long time, both wondering what the future was planning for them.

A couple of hours later, Leo's aunt came to pick him up. Everyone couldn't contain their happiness for him. It was clear that, if there was someone who deserved to go back home, said someone was Leo. Reyna had hugged him for so long that Hazel Levesque had had to pat her on a shoulder. They also managed to kiss quickly, as the woman pretended to not be looking at them. Nico watched from a window in the lobby as Leo's aunt car disappeared from his sight. There was the sun that day. Sunny days without Percy had no sense anymore.

And then, a hand kindly leaned on his shoulder, making him starling and distracting him from his thoughts. It was Reyna, smiling at him as if the events of the previous days had never taken place.

“Over-thinking?”, she asked casually as she raised an eyebrow at him.

The boy nodded almost imperceptibly, not exactly sure about what he had to tell her. I'm an egoist piece of shit? I know I deserve all this? You shouldn't look at me because I'm a traitor? “Reyna... I am so deeply, painfully sorry for what happened. I mean it.” His cheeks flushed as his eyes filled with tears. “I know that-”

“Was it worth it, Nico? Just tell me this,” she interrupted him, her smile never fading. “Because Leo thought it was.”

The memory of his night with Percy instantly haunted Nico's mind. He found himself blushing even harder. “It was, but-”

Reyna shushed him by leaning a finger on his lips. “Not ' _but_ 's. I'm fine with this. And Leo's home, anyway. He helped you because he cares about you. And he wanted to repay you for being such a good friend. So, please, stop apologising. There's no need to feel guilty anymore. We are your friends, and we're gonna support you. _I_ 'm gonna support you. Okay?” Nico managed to huff a brief laugh of relief. He had been feeling fragile and weak lately, but Reyna's words were also making him feeling emotional in a good way. She kissed him on a cheek, ruffling his hair mockingly. “Good boy.”

Nico nodded distractedly. “I was sure you hated me. I've been selfish and I know it.”

“Hate you? With that cute face you have? Impossible.” Reyna chuckled, crossing her arms on her chest and looking at him knowingly. “So. Leo told me _a few_ things, but... I was dying to hear your version of the story.”

“Well,” Nico began, glancing at the gardens outside the window. He was damn happy to be able to talk to Reyna again. “When Hazel opened the door, I was-”

Reyna laughed genuinely as if Nico had just told the best joke ever. “Absolutely fucking not! I don't want to hear _that part_ of the story! C'mon. You know what I'm referring to.” She winked at him mischievously, making Nico blushing so hard that he kinda looked like a tomato.

“You're a slut for gossip, aren't you?” He couldn't hold a chuckle, anyway. “Fine. Let's just say that... well. It was...” Nico glanced at Reyna, who was biting her lower lip with the desire to know what had happened. Nico sighed thoroughly, feeling the tension between them finally easing. “It was so good, Rey. I told him that I love him and... he did the same. And then we had this amazing sex which- oh, _please_! Can you stop giggling at least?!”

Reyna covered her mouth in a ridiculous attempt to hide the fact that she was laughing. “Sorry! I'm just so happy for you, and you're blushing so hard! You're cute, Nico. Honestly. Go on. I promise I won't laugh.”

“I have the slight suspect that it's not true, but if you say so...” Nico rolled his eyes, smiling with amusement. “We had sex and it was a bit painful, but also great. I dunno? I liked it a lot. And when Percy is naked, he's just...”, the boy interrupted his sentence, gesticulating with the struggle to find the right words. “Damn it. I have no idea. He's freaking gorgeous.”

“I could tell that thanks to the shade of red of your cheeks. Don't worry. And how was the sex in general?” The girl asked, wiggling her eyebrow and making Nico laugh.

“The sex was insanely good. I mean, I had never-”

Suddenly, a blond guy appeared from the boys' corridor as a mirage, apparently from nowhere. He was panting hard for his mad rush, and Nico recognised him as Will Solace. The boy immediately began glancing around the lobby, obviously looking for someone in particular. As soon as he noticed Reyna and Nico by the window, he approached them quickly and grabbed Nico's arm tight.

“Will? Are you fine?” Nico asked in worry, turning around to give him all his attention. Reyna did the same, momentarily forgetting their conversation.

The blond boy nodded frantically and began gesticulating, giving the two friends the impression that he was agitated. He obviously wanted to tell them something urgent. As he scratched his forehead distractedly, glancing around the room to look for a piece of paper, Nico put a hand on his shoulder.

“Is this about Percy?”, the Italian boy asked, all of a sudden feeling as anxious as Will was. “Reyna! Look for a pen or something!”

Will nodded frantically again, still glancing around the room without any result. Reyna was touching her jeans in hurry: she always carried a pencil with her. She liked to write. Where the hell was her pencil?!

In the meanwhile, the blond boy rolled his eyes in exasperation, closing his fists with anger and squeezing his eyes shut. As he opened his mouth to take a deep breath, Nico and Reyna froze instantly on the spot. “ _He's home! They sent him home!_ ”

Nico's jaw dropped to the floor.

“ _Jesus Christ_! You just _talked_!” Reyna covered her mouth in great shock. No one had ever heard Will Solace's voice in that building. _No one_. Not even Annabeth Chase.

“ _Yeah_! Whatever, who gives a fuck? Not me! I just eavesdropped Dr. Grace and Annabeth talking about Percy in the recreational area. He's been home for a damn week, now. They were saying that his parents freaked out when they saw him basically unconscious the day Dr. Chase summoned them. They took him home against medical advice!” Will was panting, not even caring about the fact that he was actually speaking to someone. “And they also said that he didn't want to go home because of _you_. He wanted to stay here with you, Nico.”

Nico didn't know if he was more shocked about the fact that Will Solace's voice was beautiful, or about the fact that Percy was home. He decided to be shocked for both. “You haven't opened your mouth in _ages_ and you chose me to talk to for the first time?! And Percy is not in another department?! _Holy fuck_!” He covered his mouth with a hand. “Are you... are you sure?” Will shrugged to confirm that _yes, he was sure_. “Oh, for fuck's sake! You spoke once, now you can answer me!” Nico put his hands on his hips to highlight his point.

While Reyna wasn't still able to elaborate a proper thought, Will rolled his eyes. “Percy had warned me that you were highly annoying. By the way... Yes, I am sure. I've never been _deaf_.”

Reyna shrugged towards Nico's direction as if to say ' _well, he's right after all_ '. Nico waved a hand at her distractedly, concentrating on Will Solace instead. “Okay. Can I contact him? Do you have a phone number or-”

“You're not allowed to use the phone, Nico,” Will interrupted him, looking at him as he muttered a few - not exactly polite - words. “But _I_ can. I've never used the phone, but I'm sure they're not gonna complain about it.”

Will Solace grinned knowingly, and Nico finally found himself filled with hope again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah, well. 
> 
> This is awkward.
> 
> Next (and last OMG) update: Sunday evening (CEST). Can't believe it's almost finished, already. Wtf.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this the last chapter? Jeez. _It is_.
> 
> Short epilogue included!

Annabeth Chase had a pretty normal life. She was blond, beautiful and smart. She also was married, she had a nice house and a nice husband. Almost everything about Annabeth Chase's life was nice and normal. Apart from her job.

Normality wasn't absolutely something she was used to facing when she found herself in Blank Hill every morning. As a consequence, Annabeth thought she was ready to hear or see anything. She was used to every kind of person and every kind of mental illness. She didn't blink when a patient began throwing things at her. She wasn't surprised when a nurse came to her office every once in a while, announcing that there was a patient having an anger attack – or simply freaking out - in the canteen, or the recreational area, or the bathroom. She had not even been shocked when someone had told her that Will Solace, a patient who had been physically and verbally abused by his father for ages, had opened his mouth after almost six years of determined silence.

But that morning, Annabeth Chase completely changed her mind. She learned that, somehow, people could still manage to surprise her. Because she couldn't absolutely cope with the fact that Percy Jackson was in front of her, _begging_ her to be admitted in Blank Hill again. That had been quite a shock for Annabeth, who had widened her mouth for a few instants, trying to elaborate a proper thought. And failing miserably.

“Percy, no pun intended but... are you out of your mind?”

The sea-green eyed boy put his hands on his hips, looking beyond gorgeous with his new haircut and tanner than she had ever seen him being. “Of course I am. I have a certificate from the government that proves it. That's why you have to admit me here again. C'mon. I'm not a minor, so _I_ decide.”

“Your parents menaced to sue the hospital if we weren't going to release you, Percy. I told them they were doing it against my advice. But then, re-thinking about it, the situation couldn't go better.” Annabeth put her pen on the desk, looking at Percy with huge curiosity. That boy surely was a constant surprise. “Even psychiatrists are wrong from time to time.”

“That's the understatement of the century.” Percy raised an eyebrow, smiling with sarcasm. “I've spent _months_ telling you this.”

Annabeth crossed her hands on her chest, smiling back at the boy. She couldn't help but finding him astute and, as always, extremely clever. “You _hate_ this place. And I know why you're here. There's Visits Day for that reason.”

Percy rolled his eyes in exasperation and began pacing back and forth in Annabeth's office. “No. There is not. I have no relatives to visit and so they won't freaking let me in for Visits Day.”

“Leo Valdez asked a special permit to visit his girlfriend, signed by me. Why don't you ask me the same?” Dr. Chase locked her eyes with Percy's with a knowing grin. She already knew why, of course. She had spent over a year dealing with Percy's obstinacy.

The boy stopped pacing, turning towards his doctor and huffing a brief mocking laugh. They were looking at each other intensely, as if they were both waiting for the other to say a magical word that could have solved every problem between them. “You never told me I could.”

“Percy, that's a lie. And you already knew you needed a permit. That's why you're here. So... why don't you ask me the same thing Leo asked me?” Annabeth kept her arms crossed, waiting for Percy to surrender. “Nico has been demanding about you for weeks, now. Your roommate is keeping you two in contact,” Percy's eyes widened, “and yes, I know it.”

Percy sat on the couch, biting his lower lip in doubt. He kept moving his gaze from Annabeth to the window, wondering whether he had to run away from there or not. He took a deep, shaky breath. “I can't.”

“Of course you can. But you _don't want to_. It's different.” Dr. Chase leaned closer, crossing her hands over the desk. “Because you'd have to _apologise_ , first.”

Percy snorted loudly, grabbing a Barbie doll from the toys' basket and staring at it as if it was the most interesting thing on the whole planet. “That's not true.”

“Yes, it is!” The woman chuckled with incredulity. Percy was so stubborn that it was unbelievable. “C'mon, Percy! You would come back as a patient in Blank Hill, but not _apologise_ to me? Just in order to see Nico? It's not a humiliation to say sorry.”

The boy was playing with the doll's blond hair. “I slammed you against a wall,” he murmured almost imperceptibly, but the woman heard him anyway.

“A closet. You slammed me against a closet. That's not the worst that has ever happened to me.” Dr. Chase distractedly glanced outside the window, as if she was having a refreshing chat with a friend and could have afforded a little diversion. Some patients were playing with a Frisbee. She turned around to look at him again. “Percy, if you manage to do this... I'll be sure your journey in Blank Hill is definitely over.”

Percy opened the Barbie doll's arms, turning it towards the woman and bending its head to a side to accompany the gesture. Annabeth couldn't hold a brief laugh, and she covered her mouth for a few seconds. “Oh, please. What _I mean_ is that I'm not exactly disappointed with the fact that you're home. Just... I'd really like to make sure that you're fine. To make sure you've grown.”

The boy threw the doll in the basket, chuckling a bit and rubbing his eyes tiredly before looking at Annabeth again. “What is _fine_ in this world? Who really manages to grow, Annabeth?” He sarcastically chuckled one more time, though his eyes were sincere. “I'm just aware of the fact that everything is messed up. And so am I. I think it's not a big deal, after all. Everyone is a little mad.”

The woman had her hands still crossed on the desk, a frown printed on her face. She wasn't confused, she wasn't scared, she wasn't even disappointed. She was just on Percy's wavelength. Finally. “All right, then. I'm signing you that permit to see Nico.”

“But,” Percy adjusted his position on the couch, leaning involuntarily closer. “You just told me I have to apologise.” The confusion in his eyes was clearly visible.

“Maybe it is not necessary, Percy.” Annabeth smiled knowingly at him. “I think you've learned.”

For almost two years of talking with his psychiatrist, Percy had never felt serene or calm to express himself. A heavy aura of anger, tiredness and frustration had always haunted him during his therapy sessions. But now, all the tension he had accumulated, all the hate he felt towards that hospital, simply disappeared. As he looked at the woman in front of him, Percy finally got an important life lesson. The fact that people couldn't count on anybody but themselves was just partially true. It didn't mean that they had to face everything on their own every single time. And there was absolutely no shame in admitting to need help. It didn't make you weak, a failure or an outcast. It simply made you stronger.

“Annabeth...” Percy looked at her with deep sincerity. “I am sorry for having slammed you against a closet. It was a really nice closet, though.”

The woman laughed in genuine amusement, and then she signed Percy's permit. Yes, that closet was the umpteenth nice thing of her life.

** **

Summer was almost over, and Nico couldn't believe it. He kept staring outside the window while his parents chitchatted about this and that, telling him about his grandpa's birthday party that had been a total failure or their projects for the start of the school year. Nico had no idea of what he was going to do the day after; he couldn't afford to think about the school year. But since his parents seemed to be so happy about it, Nico decided to not mention it. If Hades and Maria di Angelo wanted to tell him everything about their plans, he was going to listen. The only thing he didn't get was why they were including him in those plans.

As he played distractedly with his plastic glass full of orange juice, Nico sighed and interrupted his mother's ravings. “Mamma. It's not like I don't care about it... but I'm still here. I'm barely a +1 again. There's no way in the world I'm coming back home in time for the start of the school year. Or for Christmas, if things keep going the way they are going. Don't you realise it? ”

Hades di Angelo squeezed his son's arm as an encouragement. “Don't be so pessimistic. You know that we had a chat with your psychiatrist this morning, right?” Nico nodded. “Right. She thinks you'll be able to come back home in a couple of months.”

Maria was widely smiling at Nico, waiting for his reaction. Nico had stopped staring outside the window to stare at his father's eyes. “... What?”

“Yes. I'm totally serious. It was a surprise! Your mom couldn't wait to tell you. Are you happy? We're planning your return home!” Hades stroked Nico's shoulder affectionately. “Nico? Are you listening? We wanted to throw a party.”

Nico wasn't listening. He had remotely understood that he was going to be home in a couple of months, since something else had distracted him to the point that he couldn't care less. He was too busy staring at the door behind his mother's back in deep shock. Because Percy was there, holding a sheet of paper in his hand and talking to a guard.

Nico didn't even realise it when he spoke out loud. “ _Bloody fuck_.”

Maria put a hand on her chest in surprise. “Nico, watch your mouth! I suppose you're happy about it?” She chuckled gaily, as Nico kept staring behind her back.

Without even calculating his mother's words, Nico managed to recover from the shock and stood up so quickly that Hades di Angelo gasped. The screeching sound of the chair made a few people turning around towards him, but Nico couldn't afford to mind. He was basically running towards the door. “ _Percy_! Percy, oh my God!”, he shouted in pure joy.

Percy immediately dropped his bickering with the guard and widened his arms – and his smile - just in time to welcome Nico in them. It had been a miracle for them to not ceremoniously fall on the floor. Nico had basically jumped on him, wrapping his legs around his waist and burying his face into Percy's neck, inhaling the salty scent he had missed _so damn much_. “Percy! You're here! I can't believe it! Oh my God, _oh my God_!” Nico was encircling Percy's neck so tight that the sea-green eyed boy couldn't manage to breathe for a couple of seconds.

“Hey, New Kid... hey, hey. Are you crying?!” Percy chuckled as he fondly stroked Nico's back. He was holding him tight, so that he wasn't going to fall. Nico _was_ crying; in fact, he was sobbing shamelessly in front of everyone. The hem of Percy's t-shirt was wet because of his tears. “It's all right,” he whispered into Nico's ear, “it's all right. I'm here.” Though, he couldn't stop smiling. He had missed that stupid, little, annoying Italian boy _too much_.

Nico raised his head to look at Percy's beautiful eyes, and to make sure that he seriously was there. Because he still couldn't believe it. When Percy kept widely smiling at him, Nico started crying again. “I love you so much,” he murmured against his lips.

Percy let go of Nico's back, so that the boy had to put his feet on the ground again. He cupped his face, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. Failing hard to look like a badass, his eyes got wet at the sight of his boyfriend being so happy to see him. “I love you, too. So _damn_ much.”

They kissed for such a long time that Hades di Angelo blushed. The man had to stand up, approaching them cautiously and patting his son on a shoulder. “Nico, ehm. I suppose this is your boyfriend?”

Nico suddenly pushed Percy away with his hands on his shoulders, and their lips provoked an unequivocal wet sound. He turned around, his cheeks completely flushed, and tried to act casual. “Ah! Yes. Papà, this is Percy. Percy, this is my dad.”

The two shook their hands, studying each other with attention. “Nice to meet you, Mr. di Angelo.” In the meanwhile, Maria had stood up and approached them with a sheepish smile, and so Nico introduced her to Percy as well. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. di Angelo. Nico and you have the same eyes. Very... charming,” Percy slightly blushed. He absolutely wasn't used to pay compliments to strangers. He wasn't used to pay compliments in general.

“Oh, thank you.” Maria smiled as their hands separated. “We just told Nico that he's coming back home in a couple of months. We live in Middlefield. You could come visit. Where do you live?”

Percy widened his eyes and turned to look at Nico in shock. “You're going back home?! Nico! That's amazing!” He took Nico's hand in his, never tearing his eyes off him.

Nico grinned with a happiness he hadn't felt in months – _years_ – and was ready to answer to him, but Hades di Angelo interrupted him politely. “Percy, uhm... I don't want to sound rude to you, but that's my son's hand you're holding and it's in my interest to-”

“Paranoid schizophrenia, Mr. di Angelo. That's how much crazy I am.” Percy shrugged, though his eyes were sparkling knowingly. “Before you get too worried about it, I'd like to say that I've always been crazy. I'm crazy at the moment and I'll always be. They revoked my driving license, I have to take meds two times in a day every day, I see my psychiatrist every week and I can't leave the country without a permit. _Ah_ , yes. I also am friend with a couple of people that don't exist... but I can assure you they're nice people. You exist, right?”

Hades di Angelo had paled a bit, his mouth slightly dried. As soon as he noticed that Percy was being serious and waiting for an answer, he shook his head to pull himself together. “ _Ecco_... ah, yes. I suppose I exist.”

Percy clapped his hands once with enthusiasm. “Splendid! That's enough for me. Now... is there cake?” He grabbed Nico's hand, dragging him - while the boy chuckled - towards the table where food and drinks were.

Hades looked at them as they filled their glasses with apple juice, and Maria kindly stroked a hand on his husband's shoulder. “Well, he surely knows how to shut your mouth. That's a conquest. C'mon... let's eat something.” She grabbed the man's hand, dragging him kindly towards her son and his boyfriend.

They began having a nice chat about that time Percy befriended Abraham Lincoln in a museum.

** **

Nico put Leo's _Animal Farm_ copy over the short pile of t-shirts in his suitcase before closing it. He looked at his roommate distractedly, while he played chess on his own. The boy had arrived a couple of days after Leo had left, almost three months earlier. He was a nice person, funny and enjoyable... if it just wasn't for the fact that he rattled off an incredibly high amount of bullshit every day. Nico had never met someone who suffered of _pseudologia fantastica_. His roommate, in fact – Octavian, a blond guy with light blue eyes and a worrying evil grin – was a pathological liar. It had been quite weird the first time Nico had met him, but then the two got used to each other eventually. As a precautionary measure, anyway, Nico had promised to himself to not believe a single word of what he said. It wasn't necessary for Octavian to know about it, though.

The Italian boy was still looking at Octavian's game when someone knocked on the door. They both turned around, noticing that Dr. Chase was smiling at them. “Octavian, I'd like to have a chat with Nico if it's not a problem for you. You could go to the recreational area in the meanwhile. Fancy the idea?”

Octavian stood up, wiping his jeans distractedly and kindly grinning at the woman. “Sure. I'm going.” He walked past Annabeth, but in the exact moment in which he stepped outside in the corridor, she grabbed his arm. Octavian frowned in confusion and gazed at her with a questioning look. “What?”

“'Sure' means _sure_ , Octavian. I want to find you there when I'm done talking with Nico. Is it clear?” Annabeth knowingly raised an eyebrow at the boy.

“Ooookay...” Octavian rolled his eyes with a smile, and the woman let go of his arm. As soon as the boy disappeared down the corridor, Annabeth closed the door behind her back.

“He's not going to be in the recreational area, Annabeth. I'd like you to know.” Nico sat on his mattress and chuckled at the sight of his psychiatrist sighing with slight amusement.

“I'm aware of that. But while there's life, there is hope. Isn't it?” Annabeth sat on the mattress next to him. “Anyway. Are you happy? Anxious? How do you feel?”

Nico smiled sheepishly, playing with the hem of his t-shirt. “I'm a bit nervous. Mamma organised a little Welcome Home Party or something... He invited Leo and Percy, too. And Percy's parents.”

Dr. Chase crossed her legs distractedly. “Percy's parents? Uh-oh. Things are getting serious, then.” She smiled to encourage him. “But in any case, I'm here to tell you something in particular.” Nico raised his head, giving the woman all his attention. “I'd like to give you one last advice before you leave. You know... there's not a right way to live life. And there's not a right way to react to tragic events in our lives. But try to keep a thing in mind, Nico. If you feel that a situation is getting too heavy, if you think that you can't handle an emotion anymore or if you feel like you're gonna explode... _speak up_. Tell someone. Trust people. And don't linger in the thought of ' _how it could be if Bianca was here_ '. Because Bianca will always be there for you, in your heart. But she can't do anything else for you anymore. Make her proud of you, Nico. Live your life at its fullest for her.”

Nico took a deep and shaky breath, trying to not cry. “Can I ask you one last thing, Annabeth?”

The woman looked at him with seriousness. “Anything you want.”

“Are you sure I'm ready to go back home?” A tear crossed Nico's cheek silently.

Annabeth smiled, caressing Nico's thigh to comfort him. “I'm telling you a secret now, but do not reveal it to anyone. Okay?” The boy nodded, chuckling a bit while another tear streamed down his face. “No one is ready to go back home. But guess what? They survive anyway.”

Nico chuckled again, wiping the tears from his cheek and nodding knowingly. “Damn it.”

It was Annabeth's turn to chuckle.

** Epilogue **

  
  


Nico rolled his eyes with amusement as he read a text Reyna had just sent him. The surrounding students were running here and there, some directing themselves to the school bus, others to the parking lot, some more others to their bicycles; and so on. The girl had just sent him a photo of Leo in her dorm room, on campus. Leo was holding a sheet of paper with a writing on it: “ _Nico, you're a loser, but we love you anyway._ ”

Nico took a selfie as a response, showing them his middle finger, and then he sent it. He smiled, putting his phone back in his pocket. What did he have to do now? Ah, right. Home. He had to go home and study. How funny was that? Rolling his eyes again – and with great resignation -, he began walking towards his car in the parking lot.

But then, a voice distracted him.

“What's that pout you have on your insanely cute face?”

The Italian suddenly turned around, and a wide smile grew on his face. Percy was leaning against a wall, his arms crossed on his chest and an eyebrow raised at him, accompanied by a smile. His sea-green eyes were more gorgeous than ever, shining bright under the light of that Winter sunny day.

“So, you came.”

Percy shrugged, leaving his position against the wall. “I came. Any complaint?”

Nico shook his head, chuckling in happiness. “Absolutely not.” He approached him, stretching his arm forward to offer him his hand. “There's no one home. Need a ride?”

The sea-green eyed boy winked at him with a mischievous smirk. He took his hand in his. “Missed you today.”

“Oh?” Nico turned around to look at his boyfriend in the eyes, opening his car with the remote control. “I thought you were a badass who's totally fine on his own.”

Percy raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, not even trying to hide the fact that Nico was the only one he allowed to make fun of him. “Maybe it's just a show to take you to bed. Have you considered this option?”

Nico laughed, his cheeks flushing. As their hands separated, they split in different directions to get in the car. Nico closed the door and fastened his belt, while Percy did the same in the passenger seat. “How's Piper, by the way?”

“Same old. She steals something, Hazel catches her, they call her parents, she doesn't give a fuck.” Percy studied Nico's movements for a while. It was hypnotising to look at him while he drove. His eyes were fixed on the street, one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the stick shift. Nico used to tell him that he hated automatic-shift gearboxes. Italians were annoying like that. “She asked about you.”

“Did she?” Nico quickly gazed at Percy before locking his eyes on the street again. He was grinning. “So kind of her. Does she have any idea of when she'll be able to go back home?”

Percy cleared his throat loudly, deciding to look outside the car window instead of looking at Nico. The boy was _way too much_ distracting. He couldn't concentrate on his words. “None. But she's fine, I suppose. She's got an affair with one of the guards.”

Nico widened his eyes in shock and briefly gazed at Percy again. “ _What_?! Jeez! And I thought _we_ were criminals.”

The sea-green eyed boy didn't even notice that Nico was parking the car in front of his villa. He chuckled. “I know. Whatever. I miss her a bit, but Will Solace apparently took my place.”

They didn't talk for a while, both busy getting out of the car and entering Nico's villa. That place was insanely big, every single piece of furniture probably costing as much as Percy's whole house. Susan, the housemaid, greeted them with a smile and didn't say a thing when they both directed to Nico's room up the stairs. The boy closed the door while Percy sprawled on his bed – a king size bed, nonetheless. He then sat next to him. “Will Solace took your place?”

Percy felt a bit confused for a while, not sure that he remembered what they were talking about. Then, he did. “Ah! Yes. Since he didn't speak for a decade or something, he can't just shut his mouth now. Piper says he's quite funny. And sexy.”

“Everyone's sexy for Piper.” Nico laid on the mattress next to Percy.

“ _I_ added 'sexy'. She didn't say that.” He turned his head to wink at his boyfriend, who was chuckling for the revelation.

“I see. Is he sexier than me?”, Nico asked seductively as Percy climbed over his body with practice. He had done it a million times, already.

The sea-green eyed boy chuckled, kissing Nico's neck and making him sighing quietly under his body. “Are you crazy? No one is sexier than you,” he whispered into his ear.

“Of course I'm crazy,” Nico smiled when he felt Percy's hands sneaking under his t-shirt. “You should know that.”

Percy raised his head to look at him intensely. “That's why we get along so well. Isn't it?”

“Definitely.” Nico chuckled. Percy was tickling his neck with his tongue. “I think you're wearing too many clothes.”

They kept kissing for a while, struggling to get rid of their clothes as quickly as possible. Percy was now naked between Nico's legs, ready to make love to him. Nico was drowning in the sea of his eyes. As soon as Percy tangled their hands together, he pushed inside of him and Nico threw his head back on the mattress. They were slightly panting, both irredeemably lost in the other's arms.

It had been a while now, since Percy had begun feeling a totally new kind of craziness overwhelming him. It made him seeing stars during the day, hearing birds singing during the night. And Percy knew that it wasn't paranoid schizophrenia.

It was love.

 

FINE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. I'd like to take a quick moment to say a couple of words!  
> First of all, I'd like to thank you _all_ for reading this story, for commenting it and for leaving kudos. It means the world to me and, when I noticed that – after chapter 9 – it reached 100+ kudos, I basically fainted.  
>  Second of all, this was for me a great occasion to talk about mental illnesses and therapy. I wanted to kill some stereotypes and stigmas about them. Mental illnesses and therapy are not things to be afraid of. Please, if you feel like you can't handle anything anymore, or if you're dealing with a mental disorder on a daily basis already, or simply if you need to talk... _don't be ashamed_ of it. You are strong. The days you're suffering the most are also the days in which you're _fighting_ the most. 
> 
> I'm done now, I swear. I'm getting emotional, lol. So... _Thank you_.  
>  If you want to talk to me or anything else, this is my - pjo - [tumblr](http://fedegreen-author.tumblr.com/) page.
> 
> See you with the next fic! Ciao!


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